Finding a path
by dariathehealer
Summary: Not your usual Gohan goes to Orange Star High School story. Features no Saiyaman. Gohan will go through anger and pain unable to work out why his power is wanting to get out. First FF
1. A much needed talk

It was a beautiful day with the sun high and bright. Anyone would have said it was an excellent start to the day but not Son Chi-Chi. She hadn't been able to enjoy the lush scenery around her home ever since Gohan had snapped at her. She wondered if he would come down for breakfast, she knew he had definitely returned home last night but was sure he had just flown into his room through his window. Hoping for the best, she called "Boys, breakfast's ready!"

Predictably, her youngest son was the first to arrive practically running to the table as a blur, an eager look on his face. She gave a small smile as she saw Goten sitting at the table, knife and fork already in hand. She could hear Gohan walking downstairs quietly and slowly causing her smile to disappear. This was going to be an awkward breakfast for sure.

Watching her son sit next to Goten, she was saddened that he didn't even give her a glance, she was hoping to at least catch his eye. Sighing, she brought all the food to the table on a ridiculously large tray.

For the next few minutes, she was content to just watch Goten inhale his food as every Saiyan always did but couldn't help but notice Gohan was eating rather conservatively…which no Saiyan ever did. When the boys were finished, she carried the leftovers to the kitchen for the first time in her life. There had never been such a thing as leftovers in the Son household before. After she had put them away in the fridge, she turned to see Goten carrying all the dishes to the sink and smiled at the sweet young child. She remembered when Gohan was like that.

"Goten, why don't you go and play outside, it's such a nice day today."

The smile of her child filled her with happiness as he quickly gushed his thanks before dashing out the door laughing all the way. Left alone in the kitchen, Chi-Chi sighed as she strengthened her resolve to talk to her other son. Leaving the kitchen in a rather meek manner which was rare for the princess, she was disappointed to find Gohan wasn't there. He was probably in his room. With another sigh, she walked as calmly as she could to Gohan's room and paused for a moment before knocking. She had initially wanted to just walk in but after last night, she knew that would end badly.

"Yes?" drawled Gohan from inside. Chi-Chi cringed momentarily knowing that Gohan knew it was her. He clearly hadn't let go of the anger he held towards her.

"It's me Gohan, may I come in? I think we should talk."

There was moment of silence which felt like an eternity to Chi-Chi. It didn't help her nervousness was starting to make her hands sweat.

"Fine," came her son's voice in the same drawling manner.

Gently, Chi-Chi turned the door handle and walked into Gohan's room. He was standing by the window facing her, it was clear he had been looking outside. He was so grown up now, as big as Goku even. She would guess his physique was even stronger than her husband's.

"Gohan, I… I've been thinking a lot about the things you said last night and I want to tell you how sorry I am."

Clearly, her son hadn't expected that because he couldn't hide the surprise that showed on his face. He was about to speak but Chi-Chi quickly rushed to carry on "I don't really have an excuse, I just didn't realise how you were feeling and I...I thought I was doing what was right."

Before she could continue, Gohan's indignation flared and he cut in "Were you also thinking it was the right thing to smash my head with that frying pan?"

Chi-Chi cringed at the reminder of what she had done. True, she had done it many times to pretty much everyone she'd ever met but she'd never really done any lasting damage. Last night had been different. "Gohan, I'm so sorry," was all Chi-Chi could think to say. The tears were streaming down her face now, she had tried to stop them but they wouldn't allow themselves to be held back.

"I thought I was going to be blind forever you know," hissed Gohan in low voice. Chi-Chi flinched at that. She had seen her son in every emotion there was but she'd never heard him speak like this. "You're always so obsessed with my _studying_ ; did you know you could have actually blinded me permanently with that attack? Hell, the only reason dad didn't destroy Earth and everyone with it is because he had a hard knock on the head."

Chi-Chi hung her head in shame. She knew she had a temper but it had never gotten her into trouble before. Until now. "Gohan," she started in a rather quiet voice "please… what can I do to make this right? I know I was wrong in so many things, I just want you to be happy."

"HAPPY! I haven't been happy in years!" Gohan's words were cutting through her, Chi-Chi felt her heart throb in pain at the anger her son had built up for so long. "I always tried to be the best son I could be, I did every single thing you ever asked of me but it still wasn't enough."

"Gohan… please."

"Tell me mother how did it feel when I said those same words again and again for so long? For some reason, I think it's not too far from how I feel now."

Again, Chi-Chi could do nothing but hang her head in shame. In hindsight, her obsession with how she wanted Gohan to be had cost her son so much happiness. His friendship with Lime was over ever since she'd told the young girl to leave Gohan alone, she didn't even know why she saw the young girl as a detriment to his studies. His scores had never been less than perfect. Her ban of all things martial arts was the biggest mistake in raising Gohan alone. She understood now, especially after last night's rant where she'd felt smaller than ever before.

Realising this was a crucial moment that would decide her future in her son's life, Chi-Chi tried to think of what to say. "Gohan, all I can say is I'm sorry for everything. I promise I'll never use the frying pan again and I understand your need to train. I… I just never realised how deep your Saiyan side ran."

This was clearly not the right thing to say since Gohan didn't look particularly forgiving, his arms were still crossed and his scowl was akin to his mentor's. "So you're blaming this on my Saiyan side now, is that it? What about Krillin, dad's best friend! Or any of other friends. I grew up surrounded by the martial arts and you thought it was fine to just stop me altogether just because dad's gone!"

Chi-Chi remained quiet, she wanted to tell Gohan that wasn't how she felt, how she had just used the wrong words... but she had made her choice. Now it was Gohan's turn.

"I wasn't even out training last night you know. All I did was visit Piccolo because I felt his sadness and wanted to talk about it with him. That's all beside the point though. Do you even know what I resent most?"

Chi-Chi looked up to the fury in her son's eyes. Her precious Gohan, her firstborn…and she had caused him to look at her like that. "The studying," she whispered barely audible as the words caught in her throat.

"The studying. I never wanted to be a scholar, that's what you wanted!" his voice was now a soft roar filling the room but not travelling too far. He wouldn't let his problems affect Goten, no matter how angry he was. "I didn't even mind studying hard to remain at the top, if anything I was grateful for that. But it was never enough for you, even now when I'm well ahead of anyone my own age, all you ever want is for to study more and more." He was talking faster and faster now. This dismayed Chi-Chi even more knowing how long Gohan had kept his feelings locked away. She had always wanted her son to be happy and embrace his feelings to experience the human side of himself. She had always blamed the fighting her son was forced to do as the cause of everything wrong going so far as to consider Piccolo an enemy... but in the end, it was her own actions that had caused her own son years of pain.

"I meant what I said last night mom."

Chi-Chi looked at her son in shock and suddenly rushed to him falling to the floor. "Please Gohan, no! Anything but that! Please don't leave. Things will be different, I promise!"

Gohan looked down at his mother. As angry as he was, he didn't want to be the cause of his own mother begging on her knees. This was a proud family. Bringing her up to stand up again, he kept her at arm's length knowing she would try and hug him which he didn't want right now. It would only stall the conversation.

"I know they will be but I can't go through this time and time again every time you dislike what I'm doing mom. I'm not some helpless immature child anymore, I don't think I ever was. I can fly around world at breaking speeds, I can build robots that obey human commands, I can do anything I want to but you keep me here locked in a tiny room."

"I'm sorry Gohan, I just… I just wanted to keep you as my little boy. I'm sorry!" Chi-Chi wailed not knowing what else to say. Gohan looked at his mother without emotion also not knowing what to say. He felt bad that his mother was sad but he wouldn't emotionally blackmailed, not now, not after everything he'd been through.

"I'll stay for now," he said softly smiling slightly as his mother's hopeful eyes. "But you have to know I won't home much, I want to train more, I'm going to be with Piccolo a lot too."

Chi-Chi nodded frantically, she'd agree to anything Gohan demanded right now. She felt a burst of pride knowing no matter what, her son was still a fair person and even in his angriest moments wouldn't ask or do anything that was truly wrong. "There's more though mom, I can't have you treating me like a child anymore." Seeing her downcast face, he hurriedly continued "I'll always be your son and only yours to mother, but you can't order me around for whatever you want. I want to be able to make my own choices and live my life."

Chi-Chi wiped away the remainder of her tears and smiled at her son. This conversation was possibly the hardest trial she had faced in her whole life but she felt proud of her son. He was handling this horrible situation like a man. Fair but firm. _Just like Goku…_

"Of course Gohan, you've been right about everything and…I want you to know I'm very proud of you."

Gohan smiled softly. "Thanks mom."

Seeing her son had calmed down now, she asked in a rather meek voice "Can I get a hug from my son now?"

Gohan was about to but he paused. "I'll tell you what mom. If you can tell me what my favourite thing to do is, I'll not only hug you but we'll spend the whole day together doing whatever like. If you get it wrong though, I guess you'll have to wait till tomorrow."

Chi-Chi gulped. It was only now she realised how little she actually knew about her son's life outside of the small house they lived in. Knowing she only had one shot at this, she thought back to all her memories of Gohan. The times when he'd go swimming and hold his breath as long he could, going to meet his friend Icarus the tamed monster, the times he'd gush and never stop talking of his love for Piccolo. More than that, she remembered what he was looking at before she entered the room.

"Gohan… would you teach me to fly?"

The smile Gohan gave her was more than she ever wished for as she flung herself into his awaiting arms.


	2. First day of school

"GOHAN, come down this instant!" called the shrill voice of Chi-Chi.

Sitting at the breakfast table where Goten had already eaten his food and was now trying to start Gohan's share, they both heard the angry stomping of Gohan coming down the stairs.

"I really don't want to go mom," he whined sounding like the petulant teenager he had become.

Chi-Chi looked at him with amusement. It had been a year since 'the incident' and her relationship with Gohan was stronger than ever. Well strong was a strange word considering her firstborn was clearly going through adolescent mood-swings made worse by his Saiyan heritage. At first, she thought he hadn't forgiven her and was panicked until Piccolo of all people had come to the house whilst Gohan was out someplace.

He had spoken rather curtly with her as was the Namekian's manner about Gohan's behavior. She remembered the conversation like it was yesterday, it was a source of great satisfaction to her.

 _Chi-Chi looked up in surprise hearing a knock on her front door. No one ever visited them who needed to knock. Who in the world could it be? It was a great surprise for her to find Piccolo, Gohan's mentor and kidnapper standing solemnly. What was most surprising was the large lump which had formed over the Namekian's eye._

" _May I come in Son Chi-Chi?" he asked politely knowing he wasn't well liked by his pupil's mother._

" _Yes, of course," replied Chi-Chi who immediately got the alien an ice pack to hold over his swollen eye._

 _There was a moment's silence as neither had ever had a pleasant conversation with the other. Chi-Chi decided to break the silence. "I take it you know of the fight Gohan and I had?" She was rather incensed by the opening which came as a rough grunt but kept her ire in check, a lesson she had learned the hard way._ _"Yes I do but I want to say something. I believe I owe you an apology. I understand why you took Gohan and I appreciate everything you've done for him. I know he certainly looks up to you."_

 _If there was any surprise on Piccolo's part, he didn't show it. "I appreciate that. I apologise too, I know I could have handled the situation better." Chi-Chi was expecting something more but was met with silence. Apparently, that was meant to be everything._

" _So umm… is everything ok?" asked Chi-Chi still unsure why Piccolo was here._

 _Piccolo seemed to suddenly remember why he had come. Chi-Chi was secretly amused by that. While he might try to hide his emotions with that stoic nature of his, the forgetfulness clearly showed the apology meant a lot to him._

" _Have you noticed some changes in Gohan? He seems rather…moody?"_

 _Chi-Chi looked at him in amusement. She certainly had but true to his word, Gohan was nothing but a good son when he came back home. She had definitely noticed his mood swings but he only really let off steam when he left the house. She was grateful for that, she didn't want Goten to pick up any bad habits!_

" _Of course, he's a teenager now, it's to be expected," she replied loving the little game they were playing. If Piccolo was going to be apathetic, she could make him work for it._

 _Piccolo was clearly aware of Chi-Chi's thoughts since he let his irritation show for the first time. "I think it's a little more just teenage rebellion. He's constantly looking to fight me and even taunts me sometimes. He's never been so disrespectful before!"_

 _Chi-Chi knew Piccolo was leaving something out. She would certainly put her faith in her son before the word of a disgruntled mentor. "So what did you say to him?" she asked knowing this was going to be fun. She was sure he had done something._

 _To his credit, Piccolo looked rather abashed before replying "Well, I did mock him somewhat when I found out you enrolled him in school. I only did it to see if he could keep his cool around other people though."_

 _Chi-Chi frowned, she hadn't thought of that; it was going to be hard for Gohan to be around other people but they had decided together it was best. It was only for one year but he would get a diploma and be able to apply to higher-end colleges._

" _How do you think he did?"_

 _Piccolo paused not wanting to anger the woman who had finally made her peace with him. Honesty was best though. "I don't think he's going to handle it too well Chi-Chi, I think his Saiyan side is playing up. Every little thing seems to anger him and he seems like he just wants to be left alone. He's taken brooding to another level. I am concerned."_

 _Chi-Chi had been prepared to laugh it off but the serious look on Piccolo's face made her pause. It was true Gohan had become a broody teenager always wanting to be left alone save for Goten who he played with occasionally. She didn't think Gohan was dangerous though…but was that because she was family?_

" _Talk to him Chi-Chi, I think he's going to end up hurting someone if he's surrounded by normal humans for too long. They're going to have all sorts of questions and he'll be surrounded by Satan fans."_

 _Chi-Chi balled her hands into fists at the mention of Satan's name. That bastard had taken credit for her son's victory, disgraced her husband, her friends and her family's pain. "I will talk to him."_

 _Piccolo didn't say another word, just nodded and left._

 **Continued from "I really don't want to go mom,"**

"Now Gohan, we've talked about this and you agreed you need a diploma. It's just for one year and then it's over, you're free to pursue whatever you want with opportunity galore."

Her moody son didn't respond and sulked at the table eating his breakfast at the astoundingly fast Saiyan pace. Chi-Chi was wise enough to know her son wasn't placated, she could feel the anger pouring through his ki. There was desire to fight, desire to hurt and desire to lash out. She was rather thankful that her son had taught her to fly, it inspired her to train with Krillin and the knowledge of ki was invaluable in understanding both her children.

"Look Gohan, think of it as a challenge. A test of will, if you can do this, you can do anything!"

She was surprised by the feral look her son gave her at the mention of the word 'challenge.' _Ok maybe that's taking it too far_ she thought feeling her son's ki spike slightly almost searching for said challenge.

"Fine," muttered Gohan not pleased at all with this outcome. As furious as he felt, he had agreed to do this and he wasn't one to back out on promises. That wasn't him at all. Still, of all schools, why did the closest have to be in the city with that complete ass Hercule Satan? After seeing him live on TV publicy decrying not only his father but his friends and mentor, Gohan had thrown the TV out the window in fury. He never knew but it had actually landed on the roof of the Satan mansion where the cause was never determined.

"I'm sure it'll be great son, wouldn't it be nice to make some friends your own age?"

"I'd rather be left alone mom, besides they're all weaklings in that city. Even Goten could defeat everyone with both hands tied behind his back."

Chi-Chi sighed at this. She knew her son was searching for a rival or at least an equal to train with but the only person on the planet capable was Vegeta and there was no way she would allow that. Even Bulma agreed and had put foot down telling Vegeta not to make her choose between her husband and god-son.

"It'll be fine sweetie, if you don't want to talk with anyone, you don't have to. Remember, you have your freedom and no one can take that away from you." The words meant more to her than her son but 'the incident' was never far from her mind and she was cautious to avoid a repeat.

"Gohan, you need to get going, look at the time!" Chi-Chi was practically screeching as she darted around the room packing Gohan's large lunch in a Capsule before handing a schoolbag to her son.

"Bye mom," came the simple response from Gohan as he flew off to go to school.

Chi-Chi was disappointed she didn't get a longer goodbye, she had wanted to savour the moment of sending her son off on his first day of school. Still, she knew Gohan would do her proud and there was still Goten. Speaking of…

"Goten, mommy's free today. How about we have little race?"

Goten dashed back into the house looking at his mother in shock. She NEVER wanted to play the fun games but here she was suggesting one. With bright eyes and a joyful smile on his face, he happily accepted Chi-Chi's challenge daring her to catch him as he laughed whilst flying away.

* * *

Gohan had just reached Satan City when he saw what appeared to be a bank robbery in process. He felt his ki spike in delight at the opportunity he'd been given. He wanted to fight and hurt someone but he couldn't without harming innocent people. Criminals, on the other hand, were another matter altogether.

He stopped and hovered in the air for a moment as he began to gather his ki into his whole body focusing on the anger he felt. It wasn't too hard when he was in front of an enormous sign saying SATAN CITY. Bursting into his Super Saiyan form, he didn't stop until he could feel the pain of ascending to greater heights. With an almighty scream, the world's only Ascended Saiyan burst into life. Feeling his power flow through him, Gohan charged to the bank robbery in progress with a mad grin on his face. He wondered if his dad ever felt like this.

Deciding to go in through a window, Gohan broke the glass with his first delighting at the small-scale destruction before heading in. Sensing the low ki of the robbers, Gohan appeared before them in no time ready to kick some ass. His thirst for the hunt was diluted however when he saw two of the robbers holding a girl's arms behind her back while another robber was taunting her throwing a knife from one hand to the other. The girl looked utterly terrified but was still struggling against her captors with determination.

"Come on pretty, scream for daddy." Gohan heard the sadistic voice of the armed robber. Anger flowed through Gohan's entire being as he charged to the robber and smacked the knife out of his hand. The robber let out a cry of pain as he felt his arm snap, it was definitely broken with bits of bone sticking out at unnatural angles. His screaming only stopped when Gohan lightly cuffed the back of his head knocking him out.

The girl and the two robbers could only look on in disbelief at what had happened in front of them. This glowing golden-haired freak had appeared from nowhere and had brutally taken down someone in less than a second. Before they could get a decent look at the new arrival, Gohan had pushed into the other two robbers whilst holding onto the mystery girl in front of him. He assumed she was innocent and not involved. The two robbers gave a startled scream before hitting the wall hard and crumpling to the floor completely knocked out.

"Are there any more?" Gohan asked the girl.

Videl was in shock at what had occurred right before her eyes. This mysterious golden man had appeared out of nowhere and incapacitated the bank robbers saving her own life in the process. She was about to thank him until he asked if there were any others. The voice he had was chilling, he had brutally taken down the villains and was almost bloodthirsty for more. She couldn't bring herself to speak whilst coming to grips with what had happened and simply shook her head.

"Shame," replied the Golden Warrior. Videl smirked at that, she knew that feeling all too well.

Before she could get ask who he was, he had already disappeared leaving nothing but a wind behind him that was close to knocking her over and would have had she not balanced herself holding the desk next to her.

"What the fuck," Videl said to herself seeing how she was left alone in the bank.

* * *

Arriving at Orange Star High School, Gohan quickly went downstairs from the roof he had landed on. The school wasn't very big so he still managed to make it to class just in time despite having to ask several different teachers where he was meant to be.

"Ah you must be the new pupil… Gohan is it?" asked the teacher who was sitting at the desk. Gohan realised he was early as people were still walking to class and taking their seats.

"Yes sir," Gohan replied respectfully as possible, keen to dull the desire to fight he still felt after his little side-trip. He moved towards the teacher who beckoned him over for a quick get-to-know-you whilst the students filed in. When everyone was seated, they were looking at the teacher and Gohan wondering who he was.

"Class, this is our new student Son Gohan. He is joining us mid-semester and has been allowed to do so owing to the full marks he scored on all of our entrance tests. I hope you make him feel welcome and learn a thing or two from him." _Lord knows you could_ he muttered under his breath. Gohan smirked when he heard that. He was about to take the closest seat to him which was at the front until a pretty blond girl was waving to him completely free of embarrassment.

"Yoo-hoo, you can come sit with us Mr. Smart Guy." Gohan initially thought he was being mocked until he saw the beaming smile of the girl which definitely could not be faked. She was rather attractive too so he moved towards to join her and her friends.

The teacher had already begun the class but it appeared gossiping in class was normal since the blond girl immediately began talking to him, smiling all the way. "Hey cutie, I'm Erasa and these are my friends Videl and Sharpner."

Gohan gave her a smile back which fell upon seeing the glare Videl was giving him. Sharpner merely grunted at him as if to say hello which amused Gohan since it reminded him of his stand-offish mentor. He recognised Videl from the bank and wondered if she'd recognise him but she didn't seem too. He wondered what he'd done to make her scowl at him so venomously but he simply ignored it for now. He turned back to face Erasa who was still beaming at him brightly.

"So Gohan, you're pretty smart huh?" she started hoping it would be in his comfort zone.

"I guess so," replied Gohan which caused both Videl and Sharpner to snort. "It's mainly because of my mother though, she doesn't allow me much free time unless I ace everything. I've been home-schooled my whole life."

"Ooh so what do you like to do? Do you go on dates?" she winked at him flirtatiously. Whatever Gohan was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. He also wasn't expecting to feel such lust in response and the desire to flirt back.

"I've never actually been on one before, it does sound fun though," he responded rather carefully a small smile coming on to his face.

"Typical, nerd-boy's never been on a date," Sharpner said giving a small laugh.

Gohan immediately knew he had been insulted and felt his anger beginning to grow. He wanted to punch the meat-head in the gut but knew he couldn't. He decided to take a leaf out of Vegeta's books. "So if I'm nerd-boy, does that make you shit-for-brains?" he asked with slightly more venom than he intended. Sharpner immediately whipped his head around to face Gohan infuriated by the insult. Knowing he couldn't do anything in class, Sharpner cracked his knuckles threateningly smirking at him. Videl seemed to be watching in amusement which interested Gohan greatly. _'So now she calms down, weird girl.'_

"Don't mind Sharpner, he's always like that," came the oblivious laugh from Erasa who seemed to take everything in stride. Gohan immediately decided he liked her, she reminded him a lot of Bulma's mother…another attractive woman. Still Gohan wasn't one to back down from a challenge and hissed Sharpner's name to get his attention.

"Sharpner!"

Sharpner turned to face nerd-boy and was about to tell him to shut up until Gohan cracked his neck from side to side smirking the whole time. Sharpner went pale realising Gohan was probably much tougher than he initially thought. _'Ok so he's on my team at gym'_

"Oh so you think you're a tough guy now?" Videl spoke up for the first time also cracking her neck and facing Gohan with her own smirk. She hadn't told her friends about the helpless situation she'd gotten herself into the bank and truth be told she didn't want to. Erasa would let the secret out immediately and gush about her hero who saved her. Instead of gratitude, Videl now felt anger and humiliation towards the mystery man who had rudely flown off without a word. Not only was she sure she could have gotten herself out of the situation but the man had even used cheap tricks like her father told her about. Some technology to help him fight instead of fighting like a true warrior.

Wondering how best to infuriate this possibly bi-polar girl, Gohan decided to take a leaf out of Bulma's book instead. He simply winked at Videl and looked away as if paying attention to class. Erasa fell into a fit of giggles blushing when Gohan looked at her again. "So nerd-boy, tough guy and Casanova huh Gohan?" she whispered learning over to him more flirtatious than ever.

Gohan decided he definitely liked this girl. Granted he had never really spent much time with girls before but he could sense his lust growing, he was feeling more primal by the second.

"I'm a man of many talents," he whispered back trying to be as flirty as possible. If he was honest, he didn't know if he was doing well or not but it felt oddly right to say. He knew he had to get his lust under control, he was sure it was showing itself by now.

Erasa wasn't one to blush easily but the lust-filled look in Gohan's eyes made her look away red-faced. Videl on the other hand looked incensed as she used a finger to point at Gohan before dragging it across her neck as if promising pain later. Gohan was amused by her antics, did this little girl really think she stood a chance against him? She couldn't even handle three pathetic bank robbers. "Jealous?" he asked knowing he was pushing her buttons. He simply couldn't help it; this was the best thing he could do next to fighting. For a moment, he felt like he understood Vegeta perfectly.

Videl looked beyond furious as she launched a punch across Erasa's face intending to break Gohan's nose. To the trio's amazement, Gohan caught the first in one hand with ease forcing it down beneath the table. Fortunately, they hadn't grabbed anyone's attention by some miracle. Gohan felt he was in a precarious situation now; he couldn't very well fight her but he couldn't let a challenge go unanswered either. He decided a threat would suffice for now lest his anger be unleashed.

"If you do that again, I'll break your hand," he hissed at her. Erasa and Sharpner looked at him in shock not knowing what to say. Videl hadn't seemed to take the threat well and was struggling to get free.

"Let me go!" she hissed under her breath not wanting to be humiliated in front of the class.

Gohan held on for another moment watching her struggle till she gave in and only then released his grip. Videl immediately checked her hand and glared at Gohan with untold fury.

"You didn't need to do that Gohan," Erasa said quietly not knowing what to make the mysterious man she had invited to sit her with.

"In fairness, she started it," replied Gohan curtly.

"Her father's Hercule Satan, you could get in serious trouble." Erasa was surprised to see Gohan's face contort into absolute fury for a second before he turned away. Videl was also surprised at the reaction, this was one weird guy.

"Whatever," Gohan replied not turning to face any of the trio. He was seething inside, this was the daughter of the bastard who disgraced his family and she had the gall to insult him! He felt a wave of resentment knowing Erasa was closer to Videl than to him. He had only just met her and couldn't expect her to drop her friend for him. Still…the feeling of lust he felt was going to go unsatisfied…he really needed to calm down.

Erasa had tried getting Gohan's attention for the rest of class but Gohan simply faced forward as if listening to the teacher. Videl's ire had not cooled one bit and she was intending to beat this new kid to pulp. Who the hell did he think he was?!

The bell rang signifying the end of class and Gohan left without a word. Videl moved to follow him with Sharpner and Erasa bringing up the rear. Sharpner was quite looking forward to seeing Videl beat the snot out Gohan, the new kid was a prick. Erasa looked subdued wondering how such animosity existed after just one class. She was sad knowing she couldn't stop Videl from beating up Gohan. Before everything went south, she really liked him.


	3. FIGHT!

As soon as class was over, Gohan raced to the roof at super speed wanting to release some energy as soon as he could. When he got to the roof, he flew high above the clouds just outside the city and burst straight into his Super Saiyan 2 form. He didn't even realise he had never transformed into the Ascended Saiyan form without first going into Super Saiyan. Remembering the ridicule his family had suffered at the hands of the Satan family, he gathered his ki into large ball. Refusing to stop, he gathered more and more ki making the ball larger and larger. When he finally craved release, he launched it straight into space smirking as it flew faster than any ki blast he had ever shot before. Immediately, he powered down to his base form feeling much more relaxed than he had in a long time though his ire was not fully appeased.

Knowing he had little time before gym, he sped back to school wondering what normal humans did in gym class.

"Where is that son a bitch!" yelled Videl as she stomped around the corridors looking for Gohan. She wanted to break that smug bastard's face. People wisely kept out of her warpath wondering who on earth had caused Videl to lose it.

"Videl, calm down he's new and he's homeschooled. Maybe he doesn't know how to act around other people,' Erasa said desperately trying to calm her friend down. She didn't want Gohan to get hurt and she definitely didn't want Videl to get into trouble.

"Shut it Erasa, I don't know why you invited that asshole to sit with us anyway."

Erasa sighed knowing she had failed to appease her friend. She didn't really blame Gohan too much if she was honest. Yes, he could have handled it better but it was Videl who started it and she was the one who lost control first. Given how Gohan didn't know who she was, he couldn't really be blamed for threatening his attacker.

"I'm going to gym Videl, I'm fed up of this." Erasa threw her hands up in the air and started walking to gym wondering what was going to happen to Gohan. Maybe she could bring him something nice at the hospital and explain things calmly.

Videl marched on trying to find Gohan, her frustration growing each time she failed to find him. "You know Videl, we were kind of hard on the guy, it's his first day and all." Videl turned around to face Sharpner who looked a little worried at the look on her face.

"Leave. Now."

One look at Videl's face was enough to cause Sharpner to run off to catch up with Erasa. He felt sorry for Gohan really, poor kid didn't know what he got himself into. He wondered how he'd caught Videl's punch though. Having been on the receiving end of many of those punches, such a feat should have been impossible. He would normally have chalked it up to luck but the way Videl had struggled to get out from his grip showed Gohan was crazy strong. "Wonder what'll happen in gym," he said to no one particular lost in his own thoughts.

Gohan was surprised he had made it to gym class early. He was sure he was going to be late given how he'd gone off to release energy but he supposed he over-estimated normal humans when moving at super speed.

He was already sat on the bench in the field with eyes closed taking the chance to meditate while he could. He knew that's the advice Piccolo would give him. He really was about to lose it in class earlier…maybe coming to school wasn't the best idea. He was woken out his thoughts by someone shaking his shoulder. It turned out to be Sharpner who gave him a small smile. "Trust Brains to come up with the perfect spot to escape Videl's wrath," he joked trying to ease the awkwardness.

Seeing Gohan wasn't amused with the nickname Brains, he tried a different tactic. "Look Gohan, I didn't mean anything before, I'm not the type to go insulting people. I'm on the boxing team and casual insults are just our way of talking. Anyway, just a heads up, Videl's out for your blood and I don't know what's going to stop her. Good luck."

With that he walked off to join some other muscle-heavy guys and left Gohan to his thoughts. Gohan was rather conflicted at this point. He didn't want to fight Videl given how public it would be with her being a pseudo-celebrity, but he wasn't going to let her walk all over him either. He was starting to feel angry again at the situation he was in, why was he having to change his behavior because of someone else's issues? He decided it was best to just ignore Videl and if it came down to it, he would just push her back and walk off. It would be probably make her angrier initially but eventually she'd just leave him alone too. Yes, that plan made sense.

The rest of the class had turned up now bar Videl to Gohan's amusement. He wondered if the girl was still looking for him. His question was answered when Videl came bursting through the changing room with Erasa who had been waiting for her to find out what happened. The coach had started to explain they were playing baseball today when Videl finally spotted Gohan standing at the back looking at the sky without a care in the world. She clenched her firsts at being ignored, she was tempted to get one of the baseball bats and beat him over the head with it.

"Videl…Videl." She was broken from her thoughts as the coach was calling her name. "You're a captain along with Sharpner, pick your teams."

Sharpner had tried to be gallant offering lady's choice first and she immediately picked Erasa as normal. She would never allow her best friend to be one of the losers who always got picked last.

"Gohan," said Sharpner surprising everyone by his first choice.

Videl clenched her fists again. Not that she wanted to pick Gohan but just the reminder of hearing his name made her recall her earlier humiliation.

Once the teams were finally picked, Videl decided she wanted to pitch first. She was going to take advantage of the situation and spend the next half hour throwing the ball as hard as she could to release some anger. Her efforts proved fruitful as she managed to strike out Sharpner in the first round who looked at her in shock. She merely smirked at him _'serves the meat-head right constantly boasting.'_

Feeling a little vengeful, Sharpner called for Gohan to bat next hoping it would throw Videl off her game. He then realised what a mistake he'd made when Gohan went to bat on the wrong side holding the bat with his left-hand dominating. "Gohan that's the left-hand stance, change side!"

"Shut up Sharpner, no interfering!" screeched Videl causing many students to raise their eyebrows. The champ's daughter was evidently in one of her bad moods.

"Get ready Gohan," she hissed under her breath preparing to throw the ball as hard as she could at Gohan's head.

Standing in his batting stance, Gohan looked at Videl who was glaring daggers at him. He simply ignored it as he promised himself he would, they weren't going to be friends after all.

He was a little confused when he saw the ball flying towards him, it wasn't right. He knew for sure it was aimed at him rather than the catcher behind him. He decided to let it hit him. It would be the same as calling a bluff and allow him to walk safely to first. As soon as the ball hit him, he saw Videl's triumphant look and knew she had done it on purpose. Knowing her intention was to humiliate and anger him, he didn't let his rage show unwilling to give her satisfaction.

It was only then that he noticed everyone was looking at him in shock. "Umm… are you ok Gohan?" asked the coach. The boy could be injured taking a blow to the head like that.

"Of course, but I get to walk to first right? since it hit me?"

"Uh yeah, that's right."

Gohan dropped the bat for the next member of his team and walked to first base wondering how this game was meant to be fun. It was child's play if anything, Goten could do this in his sleep!

Whilst Gohan was looking up at the sky deep in thought, Videl was stuck between fury and shock. He looked like he hadn't even felt it hit him and that was one of her strongest throws! She felt humiliated when he said he didn't feel any pain and simply walked to first base ignoring her completely.

When it was finally time to switch sides, Gohan was placed on the right side of the field whilst Sharpner was the pitcher. First up to bat was Videl who looked at both Sharpner and Gohan, fury blazing in her eyes. Her first swing was miserable as Sharpner had managed to sneak one past her. She'd never admit it but Sharpner was rather good at pitching with more talent in this area than her. Her second swing was a clean hit and went flying in the air, it was a clear home run. That is, until it was caught by Gohan who had somehow jumped 20 feet in the air before throwing it back to Sharpner's look of disbelief.

"Ho..How?!" asked a shocked Sharpner, he had never seen such athleticism in his entire life. Even the coach looked stunned and lost for words.

"I jumped," replied Gohan. He was wondering if he put too much into that jump. It wasn't difficult at all and he was sure some strong humans could do it.

"Sure," was all Sharpner could come up with. _'This guy is unreal'_

Videl was forced to return to her team in utter humiliation. How the hell had Gohan caught that ball? That was a ridiculous feat of strength, she couldn't do even half of that. Narrowing her eyes, she realised he was probably using tricks like the ones her dad had warned her about. Perhaps it was his shoes. A fresh wave of anger filled her being, how dare he use cheating tricks against her?! The champ's daughter no less!

Meanwhile, Erasa had come up to bat and smiled at Sharpner trying to get him to go easy on her. She knew that wasn't going to happen and sighed knowing she was just going to fail. She turned to look at Gohan, the new wonder kid of the school. She gave him a weak smile not knowing if their friendship would last because of Videl and was pleasantly surprised when he smiled back and mouthed just one word. 'TRY.' She was stunned initially, was it that obvious she thought she was going to fail? Smiling back at him, she gave the smallest of nods facing Sharpner with a focused look.

Unfortunately, her first two swings were complete misses but she could definitely see the ball better the second time. On the third swing, she actually made some contact and it went rolling on the floor at great speed thanks to Sharpner's own strength. Quickly, she dashed to first and stayed since the ball had already been collected. She smiled to herself, she'd never actually hit one of Sharpner's pitches before but this time she'd actually put some effort in. What a difference such a small amount of effort could make. She turned to face Gohan and winked at him knowing if he hadn't told her to try, she wouldn't have.

Videl was proud of her friend. She'd never hit one of Sharpner's pitches before since the brute refused to easy on anyone. The feeling quickly went away when she was Erasa exchange a small smile with Gohan, the dick who'd been taunting her all day. Seeing the betrayal, Videl sat back down fuming at her best friend. Who was she friends with anyway?

It was the end of the school day and Gohan couldn't be more delighted. He finally got to leave this place and go do something interesting…. like blow up a mountain. Before he could leave, a familiar voice caught up with him.

"Yoo-hoo Gohan," called Erasa jogging slightly to catch up with him. She was beaming at him again with that radiant smile. He decided to wait, he'd rather not be rude to her if he could help it. She was really nice.

"Hey Erasa," he said with a small smile wondering what she wanted.

"So Gohan, how was your first day of school?" She asked genuinely curious of his thoughts.

"To be honest, I don't really like it here." Seeing her disappointed face, he continued "Not you I mean, ah how do I say this. It's just I'm not good with people and prefer to be left alone to be honest. It was great meeting you though," he finished with a smile hoping it would be good enough.

"Aw that's so nice of you Gohan, I liked meeting you too," she teased throwing his words back at him. "So are there any girls you like yet?" she asked winking at him with her same flirtatious face she used back in class.

Gohan felt the same wave of lust he'd felt in class. It was more than that though, he wanted to grab her and fly off somewhere to show off what he could do. "Well I suppose I could think of someone if I had to," he replied trying to prolong whatever this conversation was. He wasn't sure he was flirting right but he was certainly enjoying it.

"YOU!" came a distant scream ruining whatever enjoyment Gohan was having. As expected, it turned out to be Videl who was charging at Gohan like a rampaging bull with fists already balled up.

"Oh dear," came the small voice of Erasa as she quickly tried to appease Videl. The angry girl simply pushed past her friend who looked back with a hurt look, resigning herself to feeling dejected.

Gohan was growing furious at this impertinent bitch who wouldn't stop harassing him. It wasn't enough her family had defamed his own for years but now this princess brat was ruining the small amount of fun he'd had all day. As soon as Videl's first punch came aiming for his face, he simply side-stepped at pulled at her arm making her over-reach and lose balance tumbling on to the floor.

The entire student populace around them looked on in stunned silence. The new kid whoever he was had managed to piss off Videl more than anyone could remember and he'd just knocked her to the floor. He was dead. Videl stood up in, her inner rage growing by the second. "TAKE THIS!" she roared launching a roundhouse kick to his side. It was easily one of her most powerful moves. To her and everyone else's shock he moved backwards slightly and smacked her foot with one hand causing the increase in momentum to make her fall…AGAIN. She held back a scream knowing her leg had twisted badly and it would only heal worse if she fought more.

"Remember what I said?" Gohan asked dangerously as he approached the fallen girl who was now looking up in fear. Was he really going to break her leg now when she was down?

"Wait Gohan, WAIT!" screamed Erasa as she raced to his side. She could tell he was about to knock her aside before he stopped to face her.

"Tell her to never speak to me again or I swear I'm going to hurt her. That kick she went for can break a person's ribs and even collapse a lung. I'm not going to put up with that just to spare the feelings of Satan's little girl." With that said, he gave Videl one last look of utter disgust and hatred before turning to leave the school. No one followed as they just watched in awe. Not only had the new kid beaten Videl Satan without throwing a single punch, he'd threatened to hurt her if she tried anything again.

Videl sat humiliated on the floor unable to believe what had happened. She had been beaten in front of the whole school without her enemy engaging once. Even worse, she felt shame when he revealed how much damaged her kick could have done. It was completely true and she shouldn't have done it. Refusing to let tears form in her eyes, she allowed Sharpner and Erasa to help her up before forcing herself to walk by herself to a nearby bench.

The three of them sat in silence, no one knowing what to say. To the surprise of both girls, it was Sharpner. "Videl, you really messed up there you know. It was your fault this whole fight started and it was your own fault you got beaten. I don't really feel sorry for you after that kick you tried on Gohan. In fact, given how many times you've hit me, I have to wonder if you'd ever do that to me." With that he stood up and left leaving the two girls in staring in astonishment. Videl wanted to tell herself she didn't care what Sharpner thought but secretly she couldn't believe he'd got up and left. He was always obsessed to the point of creepy about Videl being his girlfriend and no beating she ever gave him was enough. But this, now…. what had she done?

Erasa had remained quiet the entire time. Soon, all the students had left leaving just the two of them. In a rather dismayed voice, Videl decided to break the long silence "Erasa, could you come home with me? I'd rather not be left alone right now."

The slight hesitation from her closest friend made Videl realise how much she had really messed up. Erasa had never before hesitated to do anything for her. Still, Erasa agreed as they made the walk back to Satan mansion quietly unable to start a conversation, neither knowing what to say.


	4. Home sweet home A mother's advice

Gohan was blowing off steam sending ki blast after ki blast into a nearby mountainside. He really didn't understand his first day of school, were all humans like that? He had done nothing but still, he had been belittled constantly since the first class. Well, Erasa wasn't like that, she was nothing but kind in his eyes, why in the world was she friends with a bitch like Videl Satan?

Sensing a familiar ki approaching him, he ceased his firing to find Piccolo floating down to talk to him. "Piccolo," he greeted giving the man a smile and resisting the urge to hug him. The Namekian was not big on affection after all.

"Gohan," he murmured back. "So, I was watching you today from the lookout. Anything you'd like to talk about?"

Gohan frowned at his mentor's question. He knew Piccolo would have seen him almost lose control in his earlier rage. Sending that energy ball into space was definitely a first for him and somewhat irresponsible. Even Vegeta didn't do that. "I was angry and had to let off some steam," he replied shortly hoping that would end the conversation he didn't want to have.

"Why the anger though Gohan? You've never been like this as long as I've known you." Piccolo was cool as a cucumber… and as green as one too. Gohan both loved and hated the attitude.

"I don't know, I get angry at everything nowadays Piccolo. I have this… need to fight and become powerful, it's like there's this energy begging to come out and I can't reach it. It's driving me insane!" Gohan was panting now, the feral look on his returning as he recalled his first day at school. "And then at school, this guy decided to start insulting me immediately and there was the girl…" He paused, internally seething as the memories of Satan's daughter appeared before him.

"She's Satan's daughter and she basically tried to beat the crap out of me all day blaming her own anger on me. After all her family has done to us, I couldn't just take it whilst being the quiet little boy, NOT ANYMORE!" he finished as an aura of ki burst into fruition, crackling around him. Piccolo remained silent for a minute remaining calm as he wondered how to relax the student he saw as family.

"Is there any more? Let it all out Gohan, don't keep anything locked away inside."

"I.. I.." Gohan knew what Piccolo was getting at, the explanations he'd just given his teacher were not really enough to explain the level of anger he was displaying. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore," he whispered only realising this now for himself. "I just get angry and want to fight all the time. I don't really care about school even though I need to be there, I just want to fight and feel the cry of battle once again… but I don't know why."

For once in his life, Picollo didn't know what to say to Gohan. This felt unnatural, the young Saiyan had never felt this way before and he knew Goku hadn't gone through this phase growing up. "I know what it is to feel the cry of battle Gohan, I still feel it all the time." Stunned eyes looked up at him, clearly Gohan still saw him as a paragon of greatness. "I spend all my time of the lookout meditating deeply calming the internal storm I feel. The presence of Kami helps me greatly especially now I've accepted him as a part of my being. I am not sure what drives your internal conflict but the Saiyan side of you must be making everything more extreme."

The pair shared another moment of silence, both reflecting intensely on Gohan's actions. It remained unspoken that this couldn't go on, the power of the Ascended Saiyan was too great to be left untamed on Earth. Gohan couldn't afford to lose control, it was a luxury forgone being the world's most powerful being.

"Do you think Vegeta might know anything?" Piccolo decided to break the silence.

"Perhaps… It couldn't hurt at the very least," replied Gohan trusting Piccolo as he always would. "I'll speak to him tomorrow if you think it's best."

"That's up to you but if you feel you're losing control again, call me from your mind. I will be listening for you." With that, Piccolo left leaving Gohan with a small smile knowing no matter what, he still had people to look out for him. It was a comfort he hadn't truly appreciated till being exposed to the students of Orange Star High.

* * *

Videl and Erasa had reached the mansion and were now sitting in Videl's room in a somber silence. Erasa knew Videl needed to open up and decided not to give her a lecture right now… that was not how one dealt with Videl Satan.

"Erasa, I… I…" Videl seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "I'm sorry, I really am, I was just so angry and couldn't help myself. Seeing her friend wasn't going to reply anytime soon, she knew she had to continue "This morning, I almost died at the bank robbery."

This was news to Erasa who immediately raised her eyebrows in alarm and pulled her friend into a small hug. "What happened?"

"I was held by these two brutes and another one was about to stab me until… this guy came out of nowhere and knocked them all out with one hit! And then, he just left without saying a word!"

"Are you ok Videl?" Erasa asked not knowing what to say to her friend. She wanted to know about the mysterious guy but decided that could wait till later.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I walked away without a scratch. It's just… I was so helpless in that situation Erasa. I've always believed nothing could take me down with my father being the only person more powerful than me but being held at knife-point and not being able to move was… somewhat terrifying. And that guy who saved me… he was glowing all over with golden hair and moved faster than I've ever seen anyone else move. I was grateful but couldn't even thank him since he left without a word or a glance in my direction." She left out her saviour's use of technology for now. He had saved her after all.

"I get it Videl, I do, I feel helpless next to you and Sharpner all the time." Videl looked at her friend in astonishment. She knew her friend wasn't a fighter in any way but the bubbly if somewhat naive girl never seemed helpless. She didn't get a chance to go down that tangent as Erasa brought up the most uncomfortable topic. "But what about school and Gohan? He wasn't being nice to you guys but you two insulted him first and you were trying to really hurt him!"

Videl flinched in shame at her friend's words. Erasa was boy-crazy and a shopaholic. It was easy to call her a ditzy blonde who followed the female stereotype. That just made it harder knowing she had forced this situation where Erasa was reprimanding her.

"I don't know, I really don't. I was just so angry and you know I'm like that with everyone but this time was different. He's the first person to give it to me the same way I give it to other people and I…" she paused not wanting to continue.

"He hurt your pride didn't he?"

Videl really didn't want to continue this conversation but knew the consequences could be dire. Sharpner had actually ditched her and Erasa was just being a loyal friend. She couldn't afford to push the loving girl away.

"Yes," she replied in the weakest voice she'd ever used. "It was more than that though. When I tried to punch him in class, that was meant to be the end of it but you don't know how it felt to be stuck in his grip. I couldn't get free! It just reminded me of the bank feeling so helpless and I couldn't believe he might be stronger than me. I'm meant to be the strongest, I'm the daughter of the champ!"

Erasa sighed knowing how deep the Satan pride ran. "You know Videl, I don't think you know this but most people at school don't actually like you too much." The black-haired girl looked at her in shock, everyone was always talking to her at school especially the boys. They all called her the pride of the school!

"What?!"

"Yeah, they're friendly enough to your face but that's only because they're scared of you. Almost everyone has seen you beat at least one person into the ground and they don't want to be next. Think about it, who are you actually friends with outside me and Sharpner?"

Videl remained quiet, stunned at what her friend had told her. ' _It's true,'_ she thought thinking over her friend's words. _'No one actually talks to me unless I talk to them first… well the jocks don't count, they love it.'_

"What am I going to do Erasa?" she asked praying her friend could get her out of this mess. She didn't want to go to her father. He'd probably go and try to kill Gohan with his bare hands and that would just make everyone think she got everything for being a celebrity's daughter.

"You'll probably have to apologise to Gohan of course but… we don't really know him to well. He seems the lonesome type, he probably won't want to talk to us again. Shame really, I think he's really hot."

Videl groaned as Erasa gave her patented beaming smile. At least the tension was gone and Erasa was back to talking about boys instead of admonishing her. As Erasa carried on talking about Gohan this, Gohan that, she allowed herself a small smile happy to see Erasa was still her friend and nothing had really changed.

"So Videl, tell me about the glowing guy. Is he cute?"

* * *

It was already dinnertime by the time Gohan entered the Son household where his mother and Goten were already at the table about to start. His mother saw him first and immediately stood up "Gohan, where have you been? I was getting worried about you, you're two hours late! How was your first day of school?"

Gohan smiled at his mother's fussing. Goten had taken advantage of the situation and had begun eating immediately with a smile only a young boy could have. "Sorry mom, I just needed to let off some steam, let's talk about it later tonight."

Chi-Chi simply nodded and walked back to the table to find her son trying to steal some food from Gohan's plate.

"Goten! It's not polite to eat without waiting! No desert for you mister."

"But mommy," Goten wailed as he tried to form tears, He really wanted some ice cream.

"No, you know the rules just as well as Gohan. You will sit there while your brother and I finish dinner." Goten sulked in his chair watching with pleading eyes as Gohan begun to eat his dinner.

"So Goten, what did you do today? Did you miss me?" asked Gohan trying to cheer his brother up. After such a rough day at school, he'd rather have his family cheery than mopey.

"Oh it was so much fun big brother, mommy and I had a race and I won!"

Gohan was not expecting that. His mother was out of the house… having fun? With the use of ki? Knowing the news would surprise Gohan, Chi-Chi simply looked at him and smiled. "Yes, Goten flies much faster than me but I was almost there. We're having a swimming race tomorrow, I'm sure I'll win that one."

"No mommy, Goten is like a birdie and a fishie, Goten will always win," came the cheerful response from Goten. Gohan smiled at his brother's antics. This was incredible, his brother was having fun with his mother of all people. Smiling softly, he remembered his own childhood when his dad used to do the same thing with him. It was nice to know some things hadn't left with the death of his beloved father.

When dinner was over and Goten tucked away in bed (no ice cream = no sugar) Gohan decided to talk to his mother. He didn't want to hide what was going on, it would just cause problems later on. "Mom, we should talk about school… it wasn't good."

"Ok son, let's go outside. If your brother wakes up, he'll just listen in and cause trouble." The mother and son duo both chuckled knowing Goten couldn't help getting into trouble with his childish playfulness.

Once outside, Gohan decided it was best if he just unloaded everything in one go, His mother knew him well enough to let him finish and fill in most of the gaps. "I was right about most of the people mom, they're all Satan fans, even the city is called Satan City." Chi-Chi didn't say anything knowing whatever was coming wasn't going to be good. Gohan really hated the Satan family, they had disgraced and insulted not only him but his father and everyone he cared about. He probably disliked them more than she did and she was more than happy to smash Hercule's head in with her frying pan.

"I was feeling such rage just seeing the sign of Satan City. The bastard made the sign out of gold and 20 feet tall for everyone to see. I was lucky in some ways, there was a bank robbery which I stopped but I mainly did it to release some energy. Don't worry, I got to school time," he teased knowing his mother was probably thinking it even if she'd learned not to say it.

"School was the worst though. I only talked to three people. There was this girl called Erasa who asked me to sit with her, she was really nice actually and we were getting along great…. But her friends… Mom I haven't been so angry in so long. One of them was a guy called Sharpner who insulted me but I'm past that now. He's just some meat-head who talks big. Her other friend though… was Videl Satan, the bastard's daughter."

Chi-Chi's eyes grew wide. Of all people her son had to run into, he had somehow landed himself in front of the family who caused their own family such distress. "There's more though," Gohan continued seeing his mother about to speak. She simply nodded for him to continue seeing he wanted to get everything out.

"She was at the bank robbery and I saved her. She didn't really see me since I left without saying anything but in class she was glaring at me for no reason. She insulted me for no reason and then actually tried to punch me when I played her at her own game."

Chi-Chi balled her fists in silent fury. It wasn't enough the girl's father had degraded her family but now his offspring had dared to try and attack her son! Perhaps her frying pan had been used for cooking for too long...

"I stopped it of course and basically humiliated her showing her I was stronger. It took everything I had to not crush her hand into nothing, the anger I felt was insane mom. After class, I sped out of the city and went Super. I put so much energy into an enormous ball of ki and launched into space."

Chi-Chi was surprised at that. Through all the troubled and rebellious times, she'd seen her son do some amazing and crazy things but he'd never done anything like that. She couldn't even tell if it was a good or a bad thing.

"I was feeling better after that and made it to the next class with plenty of time to spare. That class was gym and I really had to dial back by abilities there. I've always known I was different being half-Saiyan but really mom, normal people are just so… weak. Even at my very weakest I jumped 20 feet in the air which I learned most people can't come close to. Still, it wasn't a big deal, I need to tell you about the end of the day."

He paused not knowing how to tell his mother he'd hurt a girl, he knew she'd be disappointed.

"It's ok son, tell me."

"I was leaving school when Satan's girl tried to attack me again. First with a punch which I just used to make her fall down but then she tried a powerful roundhouse kick. I dodged it of course but I also used that counter slap of yours to make her spin and land on the floor. I'm fairly sure she twisted her leg at least. When she was down… I was seriously going to break her leg. I'd warned her in class I wouldn't not to try anything with me again."

Chi-Chi gasped not knowing what to say. Had her son really broken the girl's leg?

"I didn't in the end, the other girl Erasa got in front of me and calmed her down. I left but I threatened Videl again to leave me alone. I'm… I'm confused mom. I know I shouldn't have done it but I don't feel regret at all. If anything, I really wish I had caused some pain to stop this happening in the future."

There was a silence between the mother and son. Nothing could be heard but the evening breeze rustling the trees. It was a serene yet tense silence. Chi-Chi didn't like what was happening to Gohan but was wise enough to recognise this was not all his doing. There was an inner turmoil within her son, a change he was fighting. She briefly wondered if this was the result of being half-human and half-Saiyan. After all, such a union had never been brought into the world before.

"Gohan, I wish I knew everything you were going through and had all the answers but I don't." The crushed look on her son's face was heart-breaking to see but Chi-Chi knew her son was becoming a man and needed to get through this even if it was on his own. "You just have to know that no matter what, you have a family that loves you dearly and friends who would come to your side without hesitation. These… feelings and changes that you're experiencing are something that will work themselves out. Never give up hope."

"I don't know who I am anymore," whispered Gohan knowing this was something he'd have to go through alone even if he had support. "I feel like a slave to my own power, it drives me more than anything else."

"Perhaps you need more than training Gohan. I think both your human side and your Saiyan side are looking for a worthy challenge. Something to strive for."

Gohan looked at his mother, understanding dawning on his face. It was one of the basic tenants of Martial Arts even though it was only emphasised by true masters. A purpose… a goal… balance. Something worth the effort of pain and effort.

"Where should I start?" he asked accepting his mother's advice. She might be a housewife but he knew his mother had always given good advice when needed. It helped she was just as honest and self-reflective as his father had been.

"I think your temper is the first thing to work on. I don't want to you to end up doing something you regret later on in life. You said you stopped that bank robbery purely out of bloodlust and the desire to fight? Are you sure there wasn't even a small element of satisfaction in helping people and doing the right thing?"

Gohan thought carefully about his mother's question. It was difficult to answer when he felt so conflicted. The desire to show his power had been almost primal, it filled his entire being… but he remembered all the other experiences that made up his life and knew he did like helping people even if it wasn't as much a before. He was proud of his father who had done the same thing his whole life, going so far as to sacrifice himself for an ungrateful planet. Thinking hard of the aftermath when he'd left the bank and gone to school, he had definitely been in a better mood and was far more stable.

"Yes, I suppose so but it's not like before and not the same as dad. I attacked in a rage but afterwards I felt better. I'm not certain it's because I helped people but I do know that is something I would take some pride in which is saying rather a lot."

Chi-Chi breathed a sigh of relief. Though incredibly obvious to her, the fact that Gohan had realised it for himself was an excellent breakthrough. "Well, let's start with that. Instead of rushing off and sending ki balls into space, use that energy to help people. You have super speed after all, think how much good you could do with that energy instead of angrily hurling into space like Vegeta."

Gohan smiled genuinely for the first time since school. His mother really was something else, she always knew what to say. He was somewhat taken aback by her suggestion of involving himself in what could be seen as fights but it was nice that he was her top priority.

"I can do that mom."

"Excellent, just be sure not to be seen unless you want to open old wounds. Now, as for Satan's daughter… normally I'd tell you to apologise but given her actions on top of her father's I won't do that. I think you should be polite and respectful in asking her to leave you alone. If she doesn't, feel free to be firmer but I don't want you near her unless you want to be. The last thing we need is for to start blowing up the city just to spare the feelings of that little hussy."

Gohan snickered at his mother's indignation. He was curious to know if she hated the Satans more than her did. Either way, he wasn't looking forward to school again tomorrow. _'How am I going to stay there for an entire year…'_


	5. Chapter 5

Orange Star High School was going through the most fascinating morning it had ever seen. By now, every student knew that Videl had tried to seriously injure a fellow student. There were many disbelievers but everyone also knew she had failed abysmally with the short fight ending with her on the floor and the new kid threatening her. And so it was with a wounded pride that Videl had to live with as she walked into school with her best friend. The stares had already started getting to her before she even made it through the front door though her glares were still intimidating enough for people to look away.

Getting into class as early as possible hoping to avoid any irritating conversations, Videl groaned at her fate seeing Gohan already sitting in class looking fast asleep despite sitting up. Just when she thought her luck couldn't get any worse, Erasa had already left her side and was walking straight towards him beckoning for Videl to join her. With a low growl, she followed Erasa reminding herself to have a serious talk with her friend who seemed oblivious to the inevitable awkwardness.

As she sat next to her friend taking care to sit on the other side of Gohan, she started to wonder how he could be so incredibly strong. Not only was he the resident genius but his strength rivaled her father's best students, all of whom she could defeat in combat. To her horror, Erasa gave her a mischievous wink before planting a kiss on Gohan's cheek with one hand cupping the other side of his face.

Gohan woke from his stupor with a start to find a girl's hand cupping his face. His eyes followed the girl's arm to see Erasa giggling madly and winking at him with big blue eyes. His face was burning red unable to think of what to do. That was his first kiss. His shock quickly turned to arousal unable to ignore the feelings she had just invoked in him. Sensing the primal lust he had yesterday returning, he felt the urge to grab her and kiss her…and then he saw Videl, arms crossed with her usual scowl. Immediately, the urge was suppressed as his body tensed ready for a fight.

Erasa had seen the look on Gohan's face and was wondering if he was going to kiss her… only to be disappointed as he noticed the presence of Videl sitting next to her. This had to be dealt with. "So Gohan, feeling better today? Don't worry about that little fight with Videl from yesterday, it's all over and done with now right?" she said hastily hoping the two would at least be civil for her sake. When neither party was willing to speak, she allowed her frustration to show poking Videl's side looking at her and looking at her pleadingly.

"Fine, fine!" the proud girl said finally fed up with Erasa's puppy eyes. "Look Gohan, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was feeling angry for no reason and took it out on you. I was wrong and it won't happen. Ok?"

Both Gohan and Erasa weer surprised by the apology from Videl. Erasa because she wasn't expecting such a lengthy explanation from her friend… well lengthy for her anyway. As for Gohan, he was simply ready for another fight thinking no Satan would ever apologise.

"Very well," he grunted not knowing what else to say. ' _Very well,'_ he thought to himself wanting to smack himself. _'What kind of moron says very well.'_

Beaming at the pair, Erasa squealed "Great! Now we can all be friends!"

Neither Gohan or Videl knew what to say to that. Neither was particularly keen on the other and simply wanted to remain aloof. However, Videl felt she was still on thin ice with her friend and decided to go along "Fine," she repeated unable to come up with anything else.

Gohan wanted to bang his head on the table. How did he get himself in this situation? He came to sit in class early so he wouldn't have to deal with this and now he found himself sitting next to Videl yet again. Even worse, Erasa had him trapped and wanted them to be friends. He couldn't very well be rude to the blonde, she was just so… nice? Unable to think of the right words to describe Erasa, he knew he didn't want to upset her and she was definitely going to be upset if he didn't play along with her plan.

"We'll see," he said in the end thinking a neutral response was the best way forward for now.

Erasa was beaming at him again thrilled with her two friends making up. Deciding the tension was much lower than before, she edged closer to Gohan eager to get to know him. "Sooo Gohan, tell me about yourself, what do you like to do for fun?"

Gohan didn't know if he should respond. The class had just started and he didn't know if he should be talking in this one too. ' _What the hell'_ he thought. "Well, I spend a lot of my time studying obviously but that's mostly to keep my mum happy. Most of my time is either playing with my brother or training in the mountains."

Videl whipped her head around at the mention of training. She had known he had some kind of training given how he could catch her punch with ease but the mention of mountains was interesting. There were no mountains anywhere near Satan City, a child could tell you that. Before she could eavesdrop on anymore of the conversation, her watch beeped loudly signifying the police needed her help yet again. She didn't even need to raise her hand, everyone had heard the watch and the teacher let her go without a moment's pause.

"What was all that about?" Gohan asked Erasa. Apparently this was normal since no one seemed particularly surprised by Videl leaving class even though it had just begun. _'Normal people are nothing like I expected'_

"You seriously don't know? Videl's a crime fighter, she helps the police out whenever they need her. She's the pride and joy of Satan City."

' _So that's what she was doing at the bank, she wasn't handling that too well.'_

"Is that safe? I mean she's in school and that's a dangerous job right?"

"Well she is the champ's daughter and no one has ever defeated her apart from her dad and…well you."

Gohan shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He hadn't realised how famous Videl was and now he was probably in the crosshairs of the media if she really was that big of a deal. _'How could the police ask a young girl to do their job for them? It's not she has any real training.'_ He had initially agreed with his mother to go out and help people when he felt the urge to release energy but what about now? There was a good chance Videl was in over her head and could get hurt. He laughed internally at the irony of his situation. Yesterday, he had been ready to break Videl in half and now he was considering leaving class to make sure she was ok. _'And I thought she was the bi-polar one.'_

"Don't worry Gohan, she'll be fine. Videl can handle herself," said Erasa trying to be comforting. She'd guessed correctly that he was concerned over her safety.

Deciding to stay in class and simply track Videl's ki in case he was needed, Gohan smiled and nodded to Erasa who was still smiling madly at him.

After another ten minutes had passed, Gohan was bored stiff. This class was far behind what he had studied under his mother's teachings. He began to close his eyes and meditate to pass the time. Before he could even begin delving into the reaches of his mind, he opened his eyes since Erasa has placed her hand on his arm.

"Wow Gohan, you're seriously strong!" she whispered in awe slowly moving her hand around his bicep.

The urge to grab her returned as Gohan watched the blonde caress his arm in reverence. His lust started to grow as he looked at her up and down. Her attractiveness was undeniable and only emphasised by her tight jeans and tube top. Erasa winked at him flirtatiously once again having caught Gohan checking her out.

"Son GOHAN!" called the teacher angrily. Gohan whipped his head round to the teacher who was looking at him expectantly. The arousal faded into anger at being interrupted but he kept it in check forcing on one word: Later.

"Yes?" he replied as calmly as he could. Despite the effort he had forced, there was still clear tension in his voice.

"Perhaps you'd like to answer the next question since you don't feel like paying attention in my class!"

Gohan smirked at that. Every class in this school was child's play compared to what his mother had drilled into him for many years. "Sure, A is equal to 4.2 and B is equal to 5.6."

The teacher looked at him in surprise embarrassed that his plan had failed. "Umm… that is correct. Carry on with the good work."

The smirk never left Gohan's face as he took pride in rising to the challenge. It was always nice to win over on someone no matter who they were. Feeling oddly confident, he turned to face Erasa again "So where were we?" he asked trying to sound as playful as possible. He guessed that he had succeeded if Erasa's blush was anything to go by.

"Weren't you about to ask me out Gohan?" she replied parrying the ball back into his court. Gohan was surprised by Erasa's words. Now he thought about it, all he wanted to do was grab her and kiss her… but a date? Not only had he never been on one but he wasn't sure he really wanted to. The attraction he felt was just so… physical. Still, he had brought this on himself, he couldn't back down now especially without a decent reason.

"Well Erasa, I've never been on a date before as you know. Perhaps you'd like to be my first?" he finished rather weakly. _'That didn't come out right.'_

Erasa giggled as Gohan's voice wavered towards the end. "Of course Gohan. And re-lax, you're doing great for your first time," she whispered back cheekily hoping he'd follow the innuendo. To her satisfaction, Gohan's face went bright red as he held his breath for slightly longer than necessary. _'This is going to great!'_ Before she could continue, her phone buzzed and she quickly grabbed it before the teacher noticed the vibrating sound. Deciding to quickly check the message in case it was some juicy gossip, she was stunned to see it was from Videl.

' **Job done but broke my arm. Have to go to the hospital for cast, bring my school stuff?'**

Erasa sighed sending off an affirmative message. That really killed the mood. She had no idea what drove Videl to go out and join in with the crime fighting, it was so needlessly dangerous! At least the police had both body armour and guns, Videl just went charging in fists raised. As much good as she did for the city, her friend really had too much pride and this time she had broken her arm. It wasn't the worst injury she'd ever sustained but this certainly hadn't happened in quite a while.

"Is everything ok?"

Erasa was torn away from her thoughts as she turned to face Gohan looking at her. Of course her change in mood was clear as day. One minute she flirting shamelessly and the next she was staring into space after checking her phone. "Videl broke her arm helping the police. I'm going to see her after class, the teachers won't mind, they understand why."

Gohan frowned at that. Did everyone in this city just allow Videl to do whatever she pleased without any thought whatsoever? "Ok, I guess I'll see you later then." With that said and done, he decided to fall back into meditation and leave Erasa to her thoughts. Unbeknownst to him, Erasa was looking at Gohan in bewilderment. She had just told Gohan that her best friend had broken her arm and he didn't seem to care at all! And this was after he'd asked her out. Thinking back, she remembered the flash of anger he'd shown when Videl was introduced. That had been before the fighting which they'd somewhat made up for today.

Tapping Gohan's shoulder lightly to get his attention again, she decided she may as well ask about it now. It wouldn't be good to start dating a guy who still held a grudge with her best friend. "Umm Gohan… do you not like Videl or something? I know yesterday was bad but you seem to hate her almost."

Yet again, Gohan wanted to smack himself. How did he keep getting into these situations, this was a conversation he really didn't want to have, least of all with Erasa who would probably side with Videl. Knowing his hesitation had already given him away, he decided to go with some of the truth. "To be honest, I am still irritated by yesterday. I'm fairly sure she only apologised to appease you. Apart from that… it's her family I really dislike."

Erasa's eyebrows shot through the roof. NO ONE disliked the champ. He was probably the most beloved man in Satan City. The city was called Satan City! He had done much for charity and he was the savior of the world! Every single person owed him their lives, why in the world would Gohan not like him? Knowing this was starting to get personal, she asked rather cautiously "Do you mind if I ask why?"

Getting no immediate response, she noticed he looked rather uncomfortable. "It's just Videl's my best friend and I've known her dad for a really long time. I still see him all the time when I'm at Satan mansion."

Gohan was getting really frustrated now. All he was hearing everywhere he went in this accursed city was the greatness of Mr. Satan: Saviour of Earth. It was taking all his concentration not to let his Super Saiyan burst out destroy something. After a minute of fighting against his own body, he managed to calm down enough to face Erasa again. "Erasa, after the insults my family has endured from the Satan family, we have more reason to hate them than anyone else on Earth." With that said, he turned to face the front again, internally seething at being forced to talk about this.

Erasa remained quiet. She wanted to know more about what had happened but knew she would be pushing too far. If only Gohan was more open, she knew she could fix this… but his hatred was so strong. She was even more scared than yesterday as it dawned on her just how serious Gohan was when he threatened Videl.

There were only a few minutes left before class would end and Gohan knew he was going to disappear. The only reason he had to endure this agony was because he was minding the feelings of Erasa. The solution was simple, let her go… that's what Piccolo would say… right? "Look Erasa, it's probably best we don't have that date, you're best friends with Videl so there's always going to be a problem. To be honest, I prefer being left alone anyway." With that, the bell rang ending class. Before Erasa could even process what had happened, Gohan was gone.

Now that he had finally gotten away, Gohan was back on his favourite spot: the roof. Allowing his ki to wash over his body, he transformed into his Super Saiyan 2 form ready to release some tension. Using his super speed, he flew off the roof and started to dash around the city trying to go as fast as he possibly could. At first, he found it rather entertaining maneuvering around people as they remained seemingly stationary. Due to the sheer randomness of how people walked, his steering was full of different angels and movements as he went ducked and twisted around the citizens of Satan City. Along the way, he had seen plenty of crimes in progress with no one else looking like they would intervene. _'Cowards, the lot of them. Don't they realise they outnumber a few petty people carrying daggers?_

After dropping off a good 20 criminals off at the police station both bound and gagged, Gohan suddenly fell out of the sky landing hard on a random rooftop. ' _What the hell was that?!'_ He had felt an incredible source of energy attack him suddenly but it had come from within himself. Fear had never gripped a Saiyan's heart but right now, Gohan felt profusely… concerned about what happened. He had been aware his power was wanting out but he thought that's what he had been doing. This… This was something totally different. It was more powerful than anything he had ever touched, even more intense than the Kamehameha wave he had launched at Cell with the assistance of his father.

Knowing he would have to meditate deeply on this, Gohan decided it was best to get to his next class. Moving at super speed allowed him the advantage of sitting far away from Erasa who seemed to be looking around for him. Gohan had opted to sit next to one of the class-nerds who appeared to be a complete dweeb. The irony was not lost on him. Yesterday he had snapped at Sharpner for calling him a nerd and here he was sending a message to the class that these were his people.

Fortunately, his unnamed neighbor was focused on class not wanting to miss a word allowing Gohan to close his eyes and search for the power that had dropped him out of the sky. It felt like Gohan had been searching his being for an entire week but he was still unable to find the power. _'Maybe this would be better at lunchtime,'_ thought Gohan. ' _I can truly focus then.'_ Opening his eyes, he knew he should have known better. One could not truly meditate if also listening in case called upon by the teacher. He stopped chiding himself when he noticed class was almost over. Meditating even in its basic form had its own benefits.

Eagerly awaiting the bell, Gohan dashed for lunch as soon as the bell had struck once. Wanting to start his spiritual journey as soon as possible, it was with great regret Gohan decided to super speed and eat his lunch. It never tasted the same when he did this and he couldn't savor the moment as he usually did. As soon as he was done, he immediately went towards the furthest corner of the school yard where there were a few trees. It looked peaceful and out of the way, just what he needed. Sitting down with his legs crossed, Gohan placed his hands in his lap and closed his eyes reaching deep within himself. The outside world was no longer present, it was just him and him alone. Following the familiar path, he reached the source of his ki, his core.

Erasa had been searching for Gohan ever since he had cancelled their date and left. Truth be told, she was in disbelief at his reaction to her questions. Not only had it caused her only ever rejection but now Gohan was actively avoiding her with fervor. He was doing a damn good job of it too since she didn't see him until the next class where he had sat far away from her, not looking at her once. Erasa was not one to dwell on hurt feelings, she enjoyed life to the fullest extent but her disappointment had taken over for once. It was hard to believe what a mess she and Videl had managed to get into in less than two days and it Gohan was the epicenter of it. ' _I'll try one last time at lunch,'_ she decided. It was the only way she would be able to let this go. Whatever happened, at least she had given herself a fair chance.

Regrettably, Gohan had disappeared after class again with unbelievable haste and was nowhere to be found by the time Erasa had managed to exit the classroom. Not letting her frustration get to her, she headed straight to the cafeteria hoping to find him. She reached the hall rather early since she had dashed straight there and there were only a few people already there. None of them were Gohan. Taking a final shot in the dark, she went outside to the yard where people ate sometimes in small groups when there was good weather. Her mood lifted instantly as she spotted Gohan in the furthest corner. It wasn't lost on her that Gohan probably wanted to be left alone having chosen such a secluded spot but at least she had found him.

Heading directly towards him, she took in his impressive appearance. He was sat beneath the trees looking calmer than she'd ever seen him with his eyes closed, just like they were in class. His back was incredibly straight, most people hunched over the instant they sat down. Her opening idea was to be herself and kiss his cheek again, that almost always started some playful banter but somehow she knew that wasn't going to happen this time. Taking the more conservative route she tried calling to him "Hey Gohan, it's Erasa." She received no response. Wondering if he was actually asleep, she walked over to him to examine him closer. He was definitely not asleep though his breathing was rather deep and slower than a normal person's. Walking quietly up to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. "Gohan, it's Erasa," she tried again trying to be as gentle as she could. Again, she received no response.

Feeling rather dejected, she decided to leave. Every time he had closed his eyes in class, he had been like this but he'd always 'woken up' rather easily whether it was her speaking to him or the teacher calling his name. _'He must really not want to talk to me,'_ she concluded sadly thinking this was a pointed message that he was to be left alone. Why else would he completely ignore her? Trying to get back into good spirits, she left deciding to join some of her other friends. Perhaps catching up on the latest gossip would cheer her up.

Meanwhile, Gohan was locked deep in meditation. As he concentrated on the deep wells of power that lay within himself, a fleeting thought came into his mind _'I wonder if Piccolo went through something like this. He always meditates.'_ Already, he felt better at the reminder of his mentor. It was comforting to know he had someone to turn to if he really needed it. Filing away the thought, he focused firmly on his ki and the memory of what had happened to him.

He was flying back to school from the police station in his Super Saiyan transformation. His speed was incredible but he had been faster plenty of times before. Suddenly, there was another presence, a ki from within he had never seen begging for release. It was powerful… intense and…

His focus was interrupted as he felt someone touch his shoulder. He immediately ignored the irritation he felt on instinct, a valuable lesson he had learned from Piccolo. Not wanting to lose focus, he forced himself back into the memory, he was so close to finding the truth, he couldn't be distracted now!

Holding on to the memory, he focused on the mysterious presence. It was powerful…intense and… it was him? He knew the power was his but it felt so different at the same time. It was… alien?

Suddenly, he felt it again as his eyes opened in shock. His entire body was in agony as he felt his muscles tense tighter than ever before. As quickly as his jolt was brought on, it left leaving Gohan lying on the floor alone. Gohan felt fatigued like never before as he examined himself. He was covered in blood but he had no wounds aside from an aching body. He knew the blood was his even if he had no visible wounds. Somehow, he knew and he trusted his instincts on this. He tried to stand but movements were slow. His muscles were still playing up. As soon as he stood tall ready to test his body, he collapsed under his own weight and spat out blood.

Now Gohan was feeling truly scared. What was happening to him? There was nothing in the entire solar system which could scratch him because of his awesome power… The same power which had left him defenseless and bleeding in the school yard. He thanked his lucky stars no one was here to see this as he faced the heavens hoping this would work.

'PICCOLO,' he roared in his mind praying his mentor would hear him. His mentor had some telepathic abilities and often spoke to Gohan in his mind. 'HELP ME.'

There was no response but Gohan could see a distant figure flying towards him with inhuman speed. Smiling, Gohan allowed himself to finally let go as he saw nothing but black.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad some people are enjoying the story. Looking back at some of the chapters, I'm aware of how many errors there are. I will be correcting them eventually when I get in the right mood. Hopefully, it will read better soon.**

It was an irate Videl Satan who sat on a hospital bed as her forearm was bring placed into a white cast. Her doctor was not a fan of hers which at first was a welcoming change of pace… Until he started ranting about under-age girls and crime fighting without any form of protection. She really wanted to punch the doctor in the face but knew that would cost her the police badge which allowed her to fight the city's many enemies. Even the police had to follow doctor's orders after all.

"You're lucky this is just a minor fracture. It could have been much worse," said the attending doctor. "Your bones should be fine in six weeks or so if they heal normally."

Since he was finished, Videl simply nodded and left the room as soon as she could. She winced in pain as she clenched her fists in anger at the doctor's constant reminder of her failure. Six weeks! Six weeks she would have to wear this blasted cast before she could get back to serious training and fighting villains. The doctor had informed the police of her injuries and declared she wasn't to continue working with them until she was fully healed. They had put up short-lived argument with him until he had threatened them for endangering his patient's well-being.

Knowing Erasa was going to be here soon with her bag, Videl decided to wait in the waiting room. _'How could I have been so stupid!'_ she thought remembering how her boastfulness had let her drop her guard. She wished the man who had done this to her wasn't already in police custody, she would have had more than just words with the despicable bastard. _'How the hell did that happen anyway.'_ Though now under inactive status, her friends in the police force had told her how 30 people had suddenly appeared outside the station bound and gagged. Most of them were known criminals and the others matched descriptions of reported crimes.

Her contemplation was broken by the arrival of Erasa who had seen Videl immediately and was already by her side. Fortunately, Erasa knew Videl well enough to not pity her friend or admonish her and simply asked if she was ok. "I have to wear this stupid thing for six weeks! And that ass of a doctor told the police not to let me work with till I'm healed!"

Erasa was jumping for joy inside but didn't voice her happiness. Videl really needed to stop thinking of crime fighting with such fanaticism and hopefully all this free time would allow her to consider wearing some protection or at least carry a gun. Deciding to distract Videl as the pair walked home, she gossiped with her friend on the walk back to Satan Mansion. She knew Videl couldn't care less about the personal lives of her fellow students but would appreciate the change in subject. She decided not to mention her weird interaction with Gohan but definitely would later on. After 15 minutes of non-stop chatter, the pair finally reached Satan Mansion.

Satan Mansion without doubt the most luxurious home in all the city. Built in the centre of town, the entrance to the large estate was a towering iron gate with the handles designed like fists. It was well-known the fists were modelled after Hercule Satan himself who had talked about it for an entire a week whenever he had an interview. As the pair walked past the gates, Erasa looked around the front garden remembering all the fun she'd had here as a child. The garden was simply beautiful with a freshly cut lawn and large trees trimmed to look as aesthetic as possible. There was even a fountain in front of the house with a large statue of the champ himself who was flexing one arm whilst pointing at his championship belt. The house itself was enormous, easily the largest in city. Erasa didn't actually know how many rooms the house had but from what she had seen, the place could easily be a hotel.

Walking with her friend to her room, Erasa wondered how the rest of this day was going to go. Videl was a predictable girl who obviously going to be sulking all evening and Erasa knew she would just have to deal with it. "So Videl, what shall we do this evening?" she asked with her beaming smile. Hopefully, her bubbly personality would improve Videl's mood…eventually.

"I don't really want to do anything Erasa, I just want my arm better already," Videl replied with as much politeness as she could muster. Her friend didn't deserve the rudeness she felt like displaying.

"It'll be over before you know it!"

Videl allowed herself a small smile. Nothing could ever bring down Erasa and her smile was just so infectious. "So anyway, apart from all the gossip, how was school? Did Sharpner talk to you by any chance?" Sharpner hadn't approached Videl at school this morning although he had offered to come see her at the hospital once he'd found out about Videl's injury.

"Nah, he was sitting with his boxing buddies all day today. School was fine I suppose, it was just a little different being there without you or Sharpner. I can't remember the last time I didn't sit with either of you for an entire day."

"Oh, who were you hanging out with then? Please don't tell me it was Gohan."

Erasa visibly deflated at Videl's question. She was planning on talking about this much later but somehow he'd already come up.

Videl had noticed her friend's visible change in mood. Gone was her friend's smile and gone was her cheery nature. "What happened? Did he hurt you? I swear I'll…"

"No, no, nothing like that!" exclaimed Erasa not wanting Videl to keep jumping the gun and assuming things. "It's just…"

"Just what?" Videl was getting impatient. Not that she'd ever been much of a patient person to begin with.

"Well after you left, we got talking and were flirting a little, you know how I am." Videl scoffed at that. "He was playing along too and even asked me out which was great…but then I asked him if he had some kind of problem with you because of what happened yesterday."

"And?!" Videl felt a jolt of pain in her cast again as she tried to clench her fist.

"I don't know how to say this Videl but he seems to really dislike your family." Seeing her friend about to explode she continued quickly "I don't know everything but he didn't really think your apology was real today and assumed you only did it for me. Let's be fair Vi, I did kind of make you." Videl folded her arms and said nothing knowing her friend was partly right. Still, she had apologised which was a big deal for her. Surely that meant something? "But after that, he said something about your dad."

"What?" Videl was surprised at that. How could Gohan possibly know her dad? He wasn't one of her dad's students, she'd met them all from the very best to the very worst.

"He didn't explain much but he had this crazed look in his eyes when he told me your dad had somehow insulted his family so much that no one had more right to hate him."

"Why that little prick!" Videl roared. She really wanted to smash something. No, she wanted to beat the hell out of Gohan. How dare this new kid show up in her school and start running his mouth about her family. Her dad had saved the entire world from Cell! If anything, Gohan owed his life to her family!

"That's all I got from him before he cancelled our date and avoided me for the rest of the day," Erasa finished sadly, the disappointing memory fresh in her mind.

"I'LL KILL HIM!" roared Vide once again. "HOW DARE HE?!"

"WAIT! Calm down Videl, please," Erasa said blinking back tears that had started to form in her eyes. She knew Videl would get angry but the situation was exploding out of control. "I think we should just leave him alone."

"How can you say that! First he insults my family and then he makes you this upset!"

"No Videl, I'm upset at the situation. You didn't see him today, I think your dad might have actually done something but it doesn't matter now! Gohan made it clear he doesn't want to talk to us anymore so we should just ignore him too! There's no point fighting all over again…don't forget what happened yesterday! And now your arm is broken…" she finished meekly hoping her friend wouldn't blow up all over again.

The two girls sat in silence for a while. Erasa was watching her friend waiting patiently for a response. Since Videl hadn't started another rant, Erasa hoped the silence meant her friend would agree. "Fine, we're done with that prick. Let's watch something, I don't even know why we're talking about that git anyway."

Erasa smiled a small smile taking simple pleasure at her friend's reaction. She had seen Videl react far worse to happier news. "Sounds good, you can pick. Ooh by the way, can I be the first to sign your cast?" she asked excitedly as her trademark smile broke through once again.

Videl laughed for the first time all day. Trust Erasa to bring everything back to normal.

Gohan moaned as he started to stir. He felt exhausted…and hungry. He opened his eyes to find his friend Dende healing him with his little greens hands glowing softly over Gohan's chest.

"Gohan, you're awake! How are you feeling?" asked the young Guardian.

"I feel ok, I can get up now," replied Gohan as he stood carefully stretched his muscles getting a feel for his body once again.

"What happened kid?" came the familiar gruff voice of Piccolo who was watching them from the side.

"I… I don't know," replied Gohan not knowing how to explain his predicament. He wasn't sure himself what had happened.

"I was on my way to you before you called me. By the way don't shout so loudly next time, I nearly fell out of the sky! Anyway, all I know is your ki spiked massively to heights I've never seen before. It was even stronger than when you fought Cell."

Gohan hadn't expected that. Had he lost control of himself? He knew there was some… power inside him that was trying to get out but didn't recall gathering ki or powering up into Super Saiyan either.

"I need to tell you something Piccolo… but I think mom should be here for this too."

Piccolo cringed internally. He was on better terms with the boy's mother but still didn't relish her company.

"Very well, you catch up with Dende, I'll go get her."

Gohan smiled in thanks as he watched Piccolo drop off the edge of the lookout.

"So are you too old to give your old friend a hug?" asked Dende with his arms outstretched, a happy smile on his face. Gohan didn't even reply as he embraced his old friend and lifted him from the floor.

"Gohan, put me down!" spluttered Dende. It was unbecoming for the Guardian of Earth to be treated so!

Gohan laughed at his friend and put him down again. 'I really should see Dende more often. It's been far too long.'

The two friends who had bonded through pain and suffering chatted about the old days until Piccolo arrived with Chi-Chi who immediately dashed to Gohan. "Oh Gohan, what happened?! Piccolo wouldn't tell me anything, are you ok?" she fussed trying to search his body for any injuries.

"Mom, I'm fine now really, Dende healed be back up. I just need to talk to you and Piccolo about something. Please just remain calm and let me finish." Gohan tried to remain as calm as possible for his mother's benefit.

"Ok ok but you better not leave anything out. Oh and here, I brought you something to eat," she said cheerfully as she released a Capsule. She knew exactly how to look after her little boys. Food was a sure way to cheer up any Saiyan evidenced by Gohan's salivating. Finishing his meal in record pace, Gohan updated his friends and mother of his day leaving out his small tiff with Erasa.

"A power inside you?" she asked not understanding what Gohan meant.

Gohan looked back sheepishly knowing how silly he sounded. "Yes, there's a power inside me and it's begging to be released. When I was meditating, I could tell it was mine but… it felt different too. As soon as I began to touch it, that's when everything happened."

"I'm so sorry Gohan, I wish I knew what was happening! I wish I could make this go away," Chi-Chi wailed as she hugged her son not knowing what else to do. Why did these strange things always happen to her family?

"It's ok mom really," said Gohan trying to comfort him mother. "This isn't one of those times where we're against some ridiculously powerful enemy…it's just something we need to understand. It's one of the safer challenges we've had yet," he tried to joke.

"Gohan," Piccolo said his ever present serious look. It was certainly a way of getting people's attention. "You said this power was your own, was it like your Super Saiyan transformation or something different?"

Gohan frowned at the question unsure of how to answer. "I don't know to be honest. It was similar I guess but the power was immense. I mean beyond anything I could ever dream of even in my second transformation. It's almost as if my Super Saiyan transformation is…wrong for lack of a better word."

There was silence between the four of them. The two Namekians were deep in thought and Chi-Chi was simply holding on to Gohan, the only way she could think of to comfort him. She knew this was out of her depth so she assumed the role of comforting mother. That was a role she knew she would always have in her son's life.

"What if it's another transformation?" asked Dende carefully. "I don't know much of your transformation but when you explained your second transformation to me, you said it was always there and just needed to come out. Is this the same?"

It was like a light bulb was just switched on in Gohan's mind. He couldn't explain it before but his instincts told him Dende was correct. "Yes and no," he breathed out trying to remain calm. He wanted to get to start working right away but knew better than to fall prey to his primal nature. "As soon as you said it, I knew you were right. There's another transformation and it wants to come out…but it's not like the others. With the other forms, the power was always there, I just had to find the right key to let them out but this…this is new. Remember when I said the power felt like my own but also different? I don't know why but this is different."

"Another transformation?" Chi-Chi breathed out in shock. _'Saiyans are ridiculous!'_ she thought unable to comprehend the abilities of her son. "But why the injury? Why is this one attacking you unlike the others?"

"I don't know," admitted Gohan. He wasn't entirely sure why his mother was so worried. If anything, he was quite looking forward to training for a new ascension.

"I believe I do," came the voice of Piccolo. Three heads turned to face the wise master who had not spoken for some time. "You're not ready for it."

Gohan pushed down the anger he felt at his teacher's words. He was possibly the most powerful being in the universe and Piccolo thought he wasn't ready?

"Calm yourself Gohan," Piccolo replied having sensed his student's anger. "You might not like what I'm saying but when I finish, you will know it to be true." Instead of going straight into his theory as he normally he would, he spoke to Chi-Chi. "You will not like this either but please allow me to finish."

Getting nods from both mother and son, Piccolo launched into his explanation. "Your father and I, even some of our other friends have always known you were powerful Gohan. The battle with Cell came as a surprise as I never thought you would surpass your father so early but we always knew. Ever since that day, I have watched you closely and seen your potential. In short, it is beyond anything I have ever seen and I know there is more. I wouldn't be surprised if it's this power that you have started to sense. However, as you have seen from every transformation regardless of race, your body has to be able to handle the energy. Today, I believe you were going to start the process but your body burned out before it even began." He paused to allow his words to sink in.

"Why would I be annoyed at that though?" asked Gohan wondering where his mentor was going with this. Everything made sense so far but he didn't find anything irritating so far.

"This next part will. You're not ready for it because you've never actually undergone serious training for a long period of time. Think of your both your transformations. Your first was training with Goku in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I know it wasn't easy but it was far simpler than the effort needed by Goku and Vegeta. Your second came out of nowhere with almost no training whatsoever. You've always been powerful and have relied on it since you were a boy. The training you've done in your life is nothing compared to the efforts by our friends. If you had trained the way you could have, I believe your body could withstand this new power of yours. Just think of how much you've improved since Cell was defeated. Can you tell me it was truly dedicated?"

Both Chi-Chi and Gohan were indeed annoyed by Piccolo's explanation. Chi-Chi hated the criticism her son was facing; Piccolo had left out the sacrifices her son had to go through. Her son had grown up fighting in battles he was needed in, NOT battles he had wanted to join in and of course there was the loss of his father… the one man who could have gotten Gohan through this problem without a doubt.

For Gohan, it was different. Piccolo wasn't calling him weak but was calling him out on his lack of effort. It was true he relied on his power and hadn't trained anywhere near the amount his friends had but he had never needed to. The few fights that he'd been involved in were the only times where he'd trained and they weren't for extended periods of time. In fact, the hardest training session he could remember was in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber which was years ago. Of course that raised the question, did he even want to train?

As if sensing his thoughts, Piccolo continued "I first started training you Gohan because it was necessary. We needed your power with your father gone, the threat was simply too high. The same thing happened with Cell. This time, you need to choose if you want to train."

Gohan saw the flaw in Piccolo's statements. The realisation made him angry and he didn't feel like hiding it. "I don't exactly have a choice do I? This power wants to get out and has already attacked me twice in one day. I wouldn't be surprised if it's what makes me angry all the time. I don't really know if I want to dedicate myself to training but like I said, it's not like I have a choice." He spoke the words very fast making it clear the everyone he was not pleased by the turn of events.

"What's changed Gohan? A minute ago, you were looking forward to the new transformation, you couldn't hide the excitement. Now just because you have to train for it, it's not worth it?" Piccolo knew this was a pivotal moment for Gohan and knew he had no choice but to gamble by challenging him.

"Are you calling me a coward?" Gohan said in a low voice. He had never spoken to Piccolo this way before but the insinuation was not lost on him. He had faced Vegeta, Frieza and Cell, he wasn't afraid of anything now let alone a little training.

"GOHAN! This is Piccolo talking to you! He has been through everything with you! Watch your tone young man!" Chi-Chi had finally removed herself from her son's embrace to face him understanding the challenge Piccolo was making. "Piccolo is right Gohan, if you choose to go through training, it will be different this time. You will be a martial artist first everything else later. Think of your father and his friends, they think of training all the time. They only desire to be stronger. Is that what you want?"

For once, Piccolo was truly stunned by Chi-Chi. Not only had she defended him against her own son but she'd understood the challenge he'd thrown at Gohan. ' _Probably better than I did,'_ he admitted to himself.

At first, Gohan had felt nothing but frustration listening to both Piccolo and his mother team up against him. Even so, he allowed himself to ponder _'is this what I want with my life.'_ He knew he wanted to be stronger and achieve new ceilings but he didn't really know what for.

"Gohan, if this power didn't exist so you didn't have to put in all the work, would you still want to?"

"I honestly don't know. I mean I trust you Piccolo and you're my teacher. If you had told me to do it, I probably would have. Otherwise, I… I probably would have just trained my normal amount to remain strong at the top."

That caught Piccolo's attention. _'Finally, something to work with.'_

"So you only train sporadically so you can stay at the top. What would you do if you found out that… Vegeta had surpassed you?"

"I probably would have tried to surpass him…that's it isn't it! Have I just been lax this whole time because I don't feel threatened?"

"It's a definitely possibility and you sound like you've answered it for yourself. I have to admit Gohan, I expected something…different. Every Saiyan we've met including your father wanted to improve themselves whether they were the best or not."

Again, the four of them fell into silence not knowing what to say. The thin air was tense as Gohan was entering uncharted waters with Piccolo.

"Gohan, why do you fight?" asked Chi-Chi suddenly.

"Why does that matter mom?"

"Trust me, just answer my question."

"Well before, it was like Piccolo said. It was necessary. No, that's not entirely true. When I fought the Saiyans, Frieza and Cell, it was for my friends and family, the thought of them getting hurt drove me to never give in. That was far more dominant than any Saiyan genetic trait.

"What about other people? Strangers you didn't know, the people of Earth?" Chi-Chi pushed slowly understanding what was needed.

"I mean of course I would intervene if I thought someone was in serious danger but I can't pretend I fight hard for them. I certainly couldn't train with random faces in mind."

"Well I think the answer's simple don't you?"

Gohan, Piccolo and Dende looked at the woman in shock. This whole situation was anything but simple.

"What do you mean mom?"

"Think about it. For a while now, you've been walking around not knowing what you want to do, who you are or why you do anything. You've been searching for a purpose right? Well this new power of yours is half the answer. The training will give you something serious to do with your life and something to focus on. The rest is solved by something every teenager needs."

"What's that?" Gohan asked with slight hesitation. Somehow, he knew this wasn't going to be good.

"A girlfriend of course!" exclaimed Chi-Chi beaming at her son.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I've looked back on the first few chapters. If the chapter is named, I've given it a once over so hopefully some errors should be corrected. Feel free to tell me if you spot any others, it's quite difficult to review one's own work.**

"A girlfriend?" spluttered Gohan in disbelief at his mother. He received no assistance from Piccolo or Dende who were laughing silently behind Chi-Chi.

"Of course! A girlfriend is the perfect solution. You'd have someone to inspire you, I'm sure you'd know what you want in life once meeting a nice girl. Maybe it would be even give you some drive for your training, someone worth fighting for!" she finished with a beaming smile. _'This is perfect,'_ Chi-Chi squealed internally. It had been hard letting go of her boy who was now a man but the idea of a potential daughter-in-law reminded her of the advantages.

Gohan looked at Piccolo and Dende silently pleading for some help. This was getting utterly ridiculous and his mother was getting more enthusiastic by the second. He received amused looks that told him he was on his own.

"Uh mom, I think we're getting off topic don't you think?"

"Don't try that with me Gohan, I'm not stupid you know. Think about it, are you seriously telling me you're not interested in girls at all?"

"Ahh," came the silly sound from Gohan not knowing what to say. He wanted to fall asleep and pretend this conversation never happened. _'Why me,'_ he asked pitying his own misfortune. There was no way his mother was going to let up anytime soon. Maybe it was time to pull out the big guns.

"There's a big problem mom. I don't like anyone at school and besides, I have to dedicate myself to training now right Piccolo?"

Piccolo dropped his laughing smile instantly as everyone's attention fell on him. _'Damn you kid, I'll get you back for that.'_

"Ha, you still go to school don't you? I'm sure you'll have time to find a nice young… lady-friend. Maybe I'll send you looking as part of training."

"Well actually, I was hoping to drop out of school or at least skip most of it."

"WHAT?!" screeched Chi-Chi.

* * *

"What's got you in such a mood Vegeta?!" said Bulma angrily at her husband. Her Saiyan partner had been even angrier than normal the past couple of days. He had even snapped at Trunks so harshly, the poor boy had run off to his room and not come out till dinner.

"Nothing woman. Now turn that gravity back on now!"

"Answer me Vegeta or I'm dismantling the whole machine right now!"

Vegeta clenched his fists as he growled under his breath. He absolutely detested the control the Earth woman had over him. He was the Prince of all Saiyans, the leader of the most elite task force! And yet, he found himself under the thumb of an Earth woman who couldn't even fly! It was ridiculous how inept he was at getting his way.

"I AM TRAINING WOMAN! TURN THE MACHINE BACK ON NOW! OR ELSE!"

"Fine, that's it!" Bulma screamed back as she smashed her wrench into the control panel outside. There was no chance the machine would work now.

"WHAT THE HELL WOMAN! FIX IT! FIX IT NOW!"

"I'll be in the garden with Trunks. When you're ready to explain yourself, come and join us" replied Bulma in satisfaction. Vegeta was too proud for his own good, when would he learn to just be reasonable? He'd get his way far more often if he did. _'A prince of all people should know that. I wonder what a planet full of Saiyans is like?'_ She had to admit though, she rather enjoyed the ridiculous back and forth she shared with her husband.

As Bulma reached the garden, she smirked seeing Vegeta was already sitting at the table scowling with arms crossed. _'So predictable.'_

"Come on Vegeta, out with it."

"It's Kakarot's accursed offspring. I've felt his power and it's still beyond me," he admitting lightly hating his own ineptitude. Countless days of endless training and the second Saiyan transformation was still beyond him. He could tell he was close but that stupid brat was even powerful than when he fought Cell.

"Seriously, that's all? We've always known…" Bulma stopped talking as Vegeta smashed her table in fury before flying off in rage screaming all the way. _'Ok, I didn't handle that too well. I guess I better fix the machine before he blows up the moon or something.'_

As she started working on the gravity simulator, her thoughts turned to Gohan, her beloved god-son. She really missed the little guy, he hardly ever visited. Sometimes, she wondered if Vegeta's constant belittling affected him more than he showed. She knew Chi-Chi wanted nothing to do with the man especially after Vegeta continued insulting Goku after his death. She couldn't blame them really but Vegeta was…Vegeta.

' _Well nothing is stopping me from visiting. Trunks flies there all the time, maybe I should join him sometime.'_

* * *

"You can't drop out of school Gohan! We had a deal!" cried Chi-Chi.

"Don't you think is more important mom? And I've already told you how I don't get along with anyone there."

"But what about your diploma? We agreed it was worth getting, it's only for the rest of the year…"

Gohan exhaled noisily rather irritated with the new situation. Sure getting a diploma was important especially if he wanted to do something later in life but how could he dedicate himself to the martial arts if he was at school all day? "Maybe there's another way," he said knowing he had to get his mother on his side. Fortunately, she remained quiet at least willing to listen to his suggestion. "They let me in mid-semester since I got full marks right? Maybe they'd be willing to let me go to school part-time if I keep my performance. After all, I know all the content already so that wouldn't be hard."

Chi-Chi wasn't happy at Gohan's suggestion but thought about it nonetheless. It could work but Gohan wouldn't make any friends or spend time with anyone else his own age. That would certainly mess with plans for him to find a girlfriend. "It's not just the diploma Gohan, don't you think it's worth trying to find someone your own age to spend time with?"

"Not really but either way, I did say part-time. Maybe I could go in once a week or something like that? It would help if you came to the school with me and said you needed me at home. After all, we do live so far away and we live off the land."

Chi-Chi was stuck yet again knowing she didn't really have a solid argument to use. Maybe Gohan was right. He would get his diploma and would spend at least some time at the school…not to mention he would have the time he needed to train which was important. This power of his demanded nothing less. With great reluctance, she decided to agree knowing it was the best course of action…for now at least. "Ok you're right Gohan, I'll go with you to school tomorrow. Could you watch Goten for me Piccolo? He's not really ready to spend time in the city just yet."

Piccolo had been watching the family squabble carefully trying to understand what had changed between both mother and son. Gohan had always been a gentle soul but now he had grown to be a fighter filled with anger. Chi-Chi had always been a crazy lady who kept an iron grip on her sons but now she was treating Gohan as an equal. "Of course, don't worry, I won't be kidnapping this one," he joked.

Chi-Chi merely smirked back at him. "I'd love to see you try. Goten is much stronger than Gohan was as a child. I've trained him myself for over a year now."

Gohan and Piccolo both looked at Chi-Chi's smug face in shock. Piccolo couldn't believe someone was stronger than Gohan whereas Gohan was surprised his mother had managed to keep a secret for this long. He wondered how she had managed to convince Goten to keep it a secret as well.

"Speaking of Goten, we should go home now Gohan. I left your brother when he was asleep but you know as well as I do, that little boy can't help but get himself into trouble. He's even more like his father than you!"

Gohan laughed at that remembering all the trouble Goten had managed to get into over the years. Even now, he saw those times as fun experiences to his amusement and his mother's displeasure.

"Before you leave Gohan, here's the first rule of your new training. No transforming into Super Saiyan at all. I'm sure it will only cause this inner power of yours to stir again and we want to avoid that for the time being. Get ready for some hard work kid."

Gohan nodded at his teacher rather disappointed with the instruction. He rather liked his transformation, it allowed him to fly at speeds he could never reach in his base form. Waving goodbye to Piccolo and Dende, Gohan and Chi-Chi flew back home happy to have a solution to Gohan's problem.

The next morning, Gohan woke with a smile on his face. He only had to get through this morning at school which was basically to let him leave and then it was time for training. He was a little nervous about whatever Piccolo had planned knowing it would be challenging but it felt oddly right. More than that, the knowledge he would be training had dulled his anger to much more manageable levels. Not for the first time, he wondered if this is how his dad felt. He missed his father so much…

Blinking away the thought, he dashed downstairs unwilling to let Goten ruin his morning by stealing some of his breakfast. The little tyke did the same thing every morning regardless of how many times he was told off by his family. Gohan could understand though, his mother's cooking was simply incredible and there was always room for more.

He was surprised to see Piccolo sitting at the table with his eyes closed. He hadn't sensed the Namekian at all, how had Piccolo come in unnoticed? "I'll teach you sometime," came the voice of Piccolo who had clearly guessed Gohan's thoughts.

"Yeah cool…." replied Gohan as he tried to work out the technique without hints. It was obvious there was an element of ki suppression involved.

Breakfast was a quick affair with everyone eating at inhuman paces gobbling everything while it was still warm. Piccolo hadn't seen such a sight in quite some time and was unable to hide the smile from his face. _'It's not the same without you Goku.'_

"Ok, listen closely Goten," started Chi-Chi when breakfast was over. "Gohan and I have something to do today at his school so you'll be playing with Mr. Piccolo this morning."

"No! Why can't Goten come with you?" cried Goten visibly upset at being left behind.

Gohan knew exactly how to soothe his brother "Hey Goten don't worry, it's just for the morning. I'll tell you a little secret."

Goten nodded eagerly as he came close to Gohan who started whispering in Goten's ear knowing it would make his brother feel better. "Piccolo's the one who taught me everything and was one of dad's best friends. You can also play ANY game you want with him and he'll have to."

Goten's eyes widened up as he ran to Piccolo and tugged his arm trying to get the giant man outside to play. Piccolo shot Gohan a betrayed look having heard the whispering which quiet enough to escape the Namekian's hearing.

"What did you do Gohan?" asked Chi-Chi who had an amused look on her face.

"Oh I just told Goten who Piccolo was. I might have also mentioned he had to play whatever game Goten wants unless he wants to face you." Both mother and son burst out into laughter knowing Piccolo was going to hate whatever plans Goten had for him.

"Let's get going Gohan, it's best to get there early. I'd like to make a good impression if possible."

Knowing the flight might a little hard on his mother, Gohan picked her up and flew off towards with city. It would take much longer without his Saiyan transformation but at least he was flying. That was always fun.

Gohan decided to land at the entrance to Satan City thinking it best not to land on the roof of the school this time. "I can see why you hated this sign so much," came the growling voice of his mother who was currently looking at the towering letters that made up the city's signpost. It was impossible to avoid the golden sign had clearly been made for awe-inspiring effect. Understandably, the Son family felt anything but awe. Gohan hadn't seen his mother this angry in quite some time.

Not saying anything as he understood how she felt, Gohan simply followed his mother who had already begun marching into the city. _'No wonder Gohan hates this place so much,'_ thought Chi-Chi has her mind was still filled with images of the offending sign. _'Has that man no respect whatsoever?'_

On the way to school, they passed different shops, cafes and other usual city places. Nothing distracted Chi-Chi who was still leading the charge straight towards the school. She wanted to finish her job and leave with her son. Although the people they passed seemed friendly enough, there wasn't a single street they passed where they didn't hear or see some mention of Hercule Satan. Before walking into the school, Chi-Chi suddenly broke their long silence "Gohan, I know what the man did but would you want all this for yourself?" she gestured to pretty much everything getting her message across.

"Do you really need to ask?"

"No, no of course not. It's just hard to believe everything we've seen on a simple walk to school. I'm amazed how low people have fallen since my day. The world wasn't always like this."

Unknowing what to say, Gohan simply led his mother into school heading for the reception desk. He had never been to the director's office before and needed some direction. Checking the clock that was hanging above the back wall of reception, Gohan saw there was just ten minutes before his English class. He hoped everything would get sorted out quickly so he wouldn't have to stay in class.

Knocking politely on the director's door, Chi-Chi took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She was here for a single purpose and it shouldn't take too long.

"Come in," came the reply a few seconds later. Hopefully the man was free, Chi-Chi didn't want to make the trip all over again. A small part of her wouldn't mind waiting and looking around the school her son had been attending but it was too late for that. It would only make her want Gohan to stay in school and they had made a deal. Yes, this was for the best.

Entering the office, Chi-Chi was surprised at how inviting the office appeared to be. The room was well lit with a large slightly open window behind the director's desk and the décor made Chi-Chi want to ask where he got those bookshelves. Somehow, they seemed much nicer than the ones they had in the Son household. These ones almost seemed rousing in some way inviting you to pick a book. The carpet was a light orange representing the school colours and there were two empty comfortable looking chairs in front of the director's desk.

"Ah Son Gohan and…his mother I presume? A pleasure to finally meet you," said the director holding out his hand.

"Please, call me Chi-Chi," as the handshake was completed.

"Excellent, I'm Mr Reymond, the director of Orange Star High and please do take a seat."

The three of them took their seats ready to start. Chi-Chi sized up the director taking in all the information she could. He was a polite man with a kindly smile. With his inviting office and warm nature, Chi-Chi was quite impressed understanding why this man was in charge of the school. If only she had found someone like this to teach Gohan when he was younger instead of that fanatical twig who had dared to hit her son.

"Will you be staying with us Gohan? Class will begin soon."

Before he could answer Chi-Chi intervened not wanting her son to take advantage of the situation in case a deal couldn't be struck. "He'll stay for a little while, you may have some questions for him once we're done."

"Ah excellent. So what seems to be the matter?" asked the director seeing how the parent wanted to get straight down to business.

"This is hard to say but I was hoping to come up with a way in which Gohan could take his exams and receive his diploma without having to come to school every day."

"Oh, this is…unexpected. May I ask why? This is highly unorthodox."

"Well it's been rather difficult, if you check his file you'll notice our family lives quite far away in the 439 East District near the mountains. I also need him to help around the house since we make our living off the land we live on."

The director's eyes had boggled hearing how far away they lived. How are on Earth did the make the trip? And why in the world did they live so far away in the first place? He wasn't sure but from what he could recall, there was nothing in that district but a small village which was only known for being one of the most remote places in the country.

"Ah, I see. We don't usually allow part-time students. I like to think out students learn more than just academics here. Friendships are formed and our students learn how to deal with people they don't like as well as an array of different emotions. Part-time students have always struggled as is almost inevitably causes some social dysfunction."

"I understand completely; in fact, I agree with the sentiment. My Gohan is a very smart boy and I was hoping to expose him to more of the world by sending him to school. I'm sure your school is an excellent place for young people to grow," she continued trying to butter the man up. Bulma would be so proud of her. "However, please do consider our situation and Gohan's future. As I'm sure you're aware, it is very difficult to get a job or get into college without a diploma. Even if Gohan doesn't look at those options a year from now, I'd like for him to have those options later on in life."

The director took the words of the concerned parent seriously. It was true, a diploma was considered a minimum requirement for any job or college application. His heart went out to the poor family who lived so far away. They had shown a willingness to try by making such an incredibly long journey to Satan City and the boy's marks were nothing but perfect.

"Some parents may consider this personal but please understand I am trying to help. May I ask why Gohan is needed at home so much? I understand the difficulty in getting to school every day and don't mind if he's late every now and then. I would just like to understand the situation for myself before I make a decision."

"We live in a small house which is quite far from the rest of civilisation. My late husband was martial artist how built it with his own two hands. Our family is happy there and we have no wish to leave. There is a lot of work to be done when living like this. We must take care of our own fields for crops, we take care of the nearby animals who we are friends with and we must also gather our own food and wood every day. Cooking and taking care of the house takes up a lot of my day along with teaching Gohan's younger brother. It is difficult to manage everything without Gohan around."

The director knew he was cornered now. This was a simple family, true salt of the Earth people. He appreciated the words of Chi-Chi who could not hide the pride she took in her family's lifestyle. Normally, he would suggest trying to come to some other arrangement that didn't involve the school but he himself couldn't think of anything. "Thank you for your honesty Chi-Chi, I believe I understand fully. What were you thinking in terms of arrangements in Gohan's schooling?" He noticed the mother's surprise at his ready acceptance to come to an agreement. "I take my student's education very seriously madam," he said trying to explain himself. "My job is to ensure the best possible education for my students and that's not just academics. I try to think about their life outside of test scores. That's why we have gym class for example. Most students don't engage in many activities outside school so we have a gym class to teach theme the importance of keeping active."

Chi-Chi definitely liked this man. It was a shame Gohan didn't want to attend the school. Then again, just because the director was an excellent leader for the school didn't mean the students were model friends for Gohan to be around. Not to mention, the students tended to talk about the Satan family rather a lot. She had noticed that on their way to the director's office. She couldn't follow the full conversations but knew she had heard the accursed name many times.

"Thank you, that is very kind of you. I will try to include your ideals as I educate my younger son Goten, your ideas are something to think about. Gohan and I have already talked about this and we were thinking he could come to school once a week to hand in all his homework and take whatever tests you might have to monitor his progress. Is this acceptable?"

"I'm glad the two of you have talked about this already. It shows me how seriously you've taken this decision, and it is serious." He turned to look at Gohan who had yet to say a word. "What do you think Gohan? This concerns your future after all. Are you having any problems at school?"

"I agree with my mother completely. In fact, it was me who went to her asking about this arrangement. My role at home is very important and I would like to get my diploma if possible. As for school, I am having no problems apart from the classes. My home-schooling reached a higher level than them and I already know the content completely. I would like to emphasise that this is not the reason I wish to be a part-time student. I am simply trying to be honest in my answer."

The director raised his eyebrows at that one. Was Gohan that ahead of the class? He had initially thought that might be part of the reason he wished to leave the school but he had already closed off that avenue with his answer. Thinking more on his talented young student, the director considered the explanations from both mother and son. They seemed rather sincere in Gohan's need to be at home and they were far more respectful than most parents he's talked to. It was a shame really, he liked them quite a lot. Grasping that thought, he knew he had already agreed.

"Very well, I think we can come to some arrangement. Why don't you head to class Gohan? Your mother and I will work out the details and collect you when we're done. Will you be staying for the rest of the day?"

"I'd prefer not too, I'm already quite behind at home on all the work I need to do. I was planning on starting them as soon we were done here. It's a long journey back home and there's only so many hours of sunlight."

The director sighed unable to find a flaw in his student's answer. It really was a shame, Gohan could do great things at this school. Most of the smart students suffered from a lack of confidence but Gohan didn't seem to be phased by anything. If only the boy could stay, he could become a school leader and really help his fellow students. As the boy left, he pulled out a notepad ready to work out the details with Chi-Chi.

Gohan groaned as he looked through the small window that was in the classroom's door. It had already started and now he was going to have everyone looking at him. Still, it shouldn't be for much longer. He walked in without knocking and predictably, every head swivelled to face him. Before he could provide an explanation for being late, the English teacher was already on him.

"You're 10 minutes late Son Gohan?! I do not tolerate tardiness in my class. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Pushing back against the snide remarks he was tempted to reply with, Gohan forced himself to reply with civility. "My apologies Miss Hamilton. I was in the director's office with my mother talking of some private matters. They should be here soon to collect me when they're done."

Knowing the teacher would be unable to rebuke him any further, he took a seat in the front row pleased he had no neighbours to pester him. The class immediately began whispering fervently trying to work out why the new student was in the director's office. "SILENCE," roared Miss Hamilton taking back control of her class once again. "Where were we? Ah yes, continue reading from the second paragraph Angela."

Sitting at the back, two girls ignored the teacher's instruction and began discussing Gohan's visit to the director's office. "Oh no, do you think they somehow found out about our fight?" whispered Videl with slight panic. If that became official, any investigation would show her trying to seriously injure a fellow student, she could lose her police badge. That was the least of it though, who knows if the story would then make it to the media? Her father's name could only protect her so much.

"I don't know…I guess we'll just have to wait till we can find out. Who would've told though? I think we can rule out Gohan since he was the once in the director's office with his mother."

The two began frantically talking about their biggest enemies in the school. There were plenty of people who would love to take Videl down a peg or two but to snitch? There was no greater act of disgrace a student could perform. You were almost guaranteed to be a social outcast having lost the trust of your peers.

After another ten minutes had passed, there was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal the director and a woman who was dressed more traditionally than anyone could remember.

"Miss Hamilton, sorry to interrupt but I'll be needing Gohan to come with us. They'll be a teacher's briefing later but he has become a part time student and will come in once a week to hand in his homework and take any tests you deem fit."

The English teacher scowled. She hated any change to the routine of normal students. She believed any change was simply a favour being given to a student who didn't deserve it. All the students should be treated the same!

"OH MY GOD, SON CHI-CHI!" squealed a girl who was sitting in the third row. Ignoring the shocked looks on everyone's faces, she grabbed something from her bag and ran to the woman in front of the whole class.

"Miss Treppin, take your seat this instant!" screamed the furious English teacher unable to believe the lack of decorum in her class. This would not stand!

"Whatever, give me a minute!" the unknown student said flipping the teacher off. Standing in front of Chi-Chi, she gave a low bow before talking excitedly "Oh Son Chi-Chi, I'm your biggest fan! May I have an autograph? Please?" she begged unable to hide the awe in her eyes. She couldn't believe her hero was here right in front of her!

"You know who I am?" asked Chi-Chi in confusion. Since when did she have fans?

"Of course! I voted for you in the most inspiring women category of this year's Women's Digest! You're my idol!" gushed the student talking at a pace no man could match. By now, the whole class was watching unsure of who Gohan's mother was. Even the director and Miss Hamilton were watching wanting to know what was happening.

"What?" came the reply of Chi-Chi still not knowing what the girl was talking about.

"You're an inspiration to women everywhere! You're the only woman who ever made it the quarter finals of the World Martial Arts Tournament and all to find the man you loved! You didn't get number one in the Women's Digest but you were number 3! Is Son Goku here with you too? I'd love to meet him too!"

"I'm sorry, he's not here with me," replied Chi-Chi rather dismayed at the reminder of her husband's death. "You honour me by voting for me, I'll gladly give you an autograph." She signed the copy of Women's Digest that was thrust in front of her with a small smile. Next to her name was a picture of her at the tournament facing off against Goku. So long ago yet the memory was fresh in her mind.

"Can…Can I get a picture with you?" the girl asked nervously as she stared at her signed magazine lovingly.

"Sure," Chi-Chi said taking a liking to the girl. She was in a good mood after seeing Bulma's name appear below her. "I want a copy too though and make sure to get the magazine in the picture.

The fan-girl held back a squeal unable to believe her luck, this was the best day ever! Gohan was gracious enough to take the picture happy that her mother was finally being recognised for the inspiring woman that she was. He wished the moment would pass soon though, everyone was staring at them in shock.

"Gohan, give her your details. I don't know how all this technology works. Bulma gave us that computer and phone but I still can't figure it out."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," gushed the beaming girl as she went back to her seat still staring at her magazine with reverence.

Miss Hamilton finally got everyone's attention with a small cough. "Well, if that's all?"

"Ah yes," the director said embarrassed at being caught up in the moment. Who knew this family was so multi-talented? Thank goodness he had allowed the arrangement. He would have been a laughing stock if he allowed such a family to transfer to another school.

As the trio left, the classroom had begun whispering at extreme levels ignoring Miss Hamilton's attempts to silence them. Most of them were giving Videl glances and laughing slightly. Who would have guessed the mere appearance of the Son family would cause such waves at school? First Gohan and now Chi-Chi.

Sitting at the back, Videl was still too surprised to feel angry at the students for looking at her. She knew of Son Chi-Chi of course; the woman was her source of inspiration too. Not in a million years would she have guessed Gohan was the son of her hero.

"Well, I didn't see that coming. Pretty impressive right Videl?" asked Erasa unaware of the whirlwind of emotions her friend was feeling.

"I can't believe it Erasa. That woman is my idol too and now I find out Gohan of all people is her son? How can I ever go up and talk to her with everything that's happened?."

"Does it really mean that much to you?"

"Yes! It's like that chick said, she really is an inspiration to women everywhere! She went up against some seriously powerful guys to reach the quarter finals and no woman has come close since."

"Wow, she really is something huh? I'm guessing she trained Gohan too. Do you know much about Son Goku? He must be a fighter too is she fought to find him again."

"He won the entire tournament that same year. Wow, no wonder Gohan is so strong, he must have been training his whole life!"

"Do you think he left school because of...well you know..."

"I don't know...but I'll find out."

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 **A/N: To the anonymous reviewer: You were right about Videl wanting to make things right too quickly. I wasn't sure how to end the chapter but hopefully this makes more sense.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Appreciate the reviews, they're the only reason I will continue this story. For people concerned with 'ships,' don't expect one anytime soon. I was going for Erasa at first but I've lost my inspiration for them having just become single again. At this point, I wouldn't object to throwing in 18 in all her apathetic glory.**

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Eliza Treppin soon found herself to be the most popular girl in school. Everyone wanted to talk to her about her outburst in class and learn who the story of the Son family. Having never been the centre of attention before, the first hour was like a dream. After that, she had started to become rather irritated. Even the people she knew didn't like her had started to act like they were best friends. Fortunately, she had good friends around her who helped her fend off the more annoying people.

School had just finished for the day and she was looking forward to getting home and showing off her new prized possession to her parents. Before she could exit, she heard a loud voice calling her name.

"Yoo-hoo Eliza! Wait up!"

It was Erasa, one of the more popular girls in school. Eliza didn't really get on with the more popular girls but Erasa had always been different. She was simply nice to everyone so everyone was nice to her.

"Hey Erasa, what's up?"

"Like you don't know. So spill, how was your first day of being a school celebrity?" Erasa joked knowing just how to get people talking.

"Kind of annoying really. At first, it was fun since no one's ever really taken much notice of me before but after a while I started to see how just how fake people can be. Can you believe Lisa of all people was trying to tell everyone how close we were? We HATE each other!"

"Yeah but it's school, you know what people are like. Just look at Videl. You wouldn't believe how many guys try to become friends with me just to try and ask her out. Most of the time, they don't even put in effort to hide what they're doing."

"Urgh, some people huh?"

"So you're a fan of Gohan's mum? To be honest, I'd never heard of her before you went all fan-girl in class."

Eliza blushed knowing exactly how crazy she'd gotten in class. It was totally out of character for her, she'd always stayed in the background. "Yeah, my parents are huge fans of hers. My dad thinks she's amazing, he's the one who actually introduced me to her."

"Really? Not your mum?"

"Nah, mum's incredibly chill when we're at home, she understands when I'm venting when I talk about school. Dad took it way too strongly thinking I was really upset and being picked on or something. He's great though, he started getting all these books and reading about strong women thinking I needed a more feminine role model in life. Son Chi-Chi always stood out to me."

"Wow, your dad really loves his little girl huh? So why Son Chi-Chi? Do you want to be a fighter too? I could ask Videl to give you some tips if you want."

Eliza burst out laughing at Erasa's suggestion. She briefly wondered if everyone thought she was obsessed with martial arts now. "No, no the fighting part is great but it's how independent she really was. Think about it, she wanted to find her long lost love who disappeared for some reason. You've probably guessed by now Son Goku is a fighter?"

"Yeah, Videl told me he actually won the entire tournament that same year."

"Yeah, I like to think the appearance of Chi-Chi inspired him to win. He'd entered previous tournaments and even got to the finals but never managed to become Champion. Anyway, Chi-Chi trained for years in the martial arts knowing that she would find Goku at the tournament. She became so that she actually made it to the quarter finals. No woman ever managed that feat before and no woman has done it since. And she did it all for Goku." Eliza was gushing now speaking faster and faster. The story never got old to her.

"That's so romantic!"

"Yeah, it is. I really love it because for once the girl went through everything to get the guy. Don't you feel inspired by it? It makes me think I can do anything if I try hard enough."

"I can see why you like it so much. I'm surprised I've never heard it before."

Eliza had never had such a long conversation with Erasa before. They'd had plenty of short, pleasant conversations but Erasa seemed to be genuinely interested in both the story and her.

"Well, the end of the story explains why. After Goku won and became Champion, the two of them got married and were never seen again. It was kind of like a fairy tale ending. I probably wouldn't have heard it if dad hadn't got so many books and magazines for me to find some inspiration."

"It's pretty amazing that their son goes to our school. Don't you think it's amazing we have both Gohan and Videl? The children of two champions and both in the same class. It could be another fairy tale if they didn't dislike each other so much."

"Yeah, what was up with that? From what I heard, Videl tried to maim him for life or something."

Erasa stopped talking cursing her big mouth. She was so bad at keeping secrets, she just couldn't help herself. "Ah, I probably shouldn't say anything, I don't want Videl to get mad at me," she laughed nervously hoping that would be the end of it."

Eliza merely smirked at her. It was an odd feeling to have the upper hand against the duo of Videl and Erasa. She knew exactly why there was enmity between the champion's kids. "Fair enough Erasa, I suppose I shouldn't tell you why Gohan probably dislikes Videl so much then."

"WHAT?" screeched Erasa, caught by her own surprise. "You know why?" she whispered watching wearily as students looked their way trying to pretend they weren't trying to eavesdrop.

"Of course, it's obvious when you think about it."

"Please tell me!" whispered Erasa frantically. She really wanted to know what the problem was between the two families. Her pleading was met with a short chuckle as Eliza beckoned for her to come close.

"You know how everyone worships Mr. Satan for saving the world? For a long time, he had no explanation for those strange lights and explosions at previous world tournaments where people were actually flying. He said they were tricksters and cheats using technology to win. He public denounced them as martial artists. One of those champions was Gohan's father."

Understanding dawned on Erasa as she grasped the situation immediately. "Of course…Gohan mentioned Mr. Satan had insulted his family, he was so angry."

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why. But to be honest, Mr. Satan could be right. He did defeat Cell when no one else could. Not to mention, no one has seen someone flying or using those strange balls of light since the Cell games. I wouldn't be surprised if there was some technology involved. I've always wondered though…what if he was wrong?"

With that, Eliza gave her goodbyes and left leaving Erasa alone with her thoughts. _'How can I use this?'_

* * *

Gohan woke at the crack of dawn with a smile on his face. It was his first day of training with Piccolo and he didn't have to go to school. He put on his gi with Piccolo's insignia and walked downstairs quietly to avoid waking his mother and Goten. They would wake up a little later. He quickly finished his breakfast before heading outside to meet Piccolo.

His teacher's ki wasn't hard to find. Not only was in one of the few powerful ones on Earth but also alien in nature. If it wasn't Piccolo, it could only be Vegeta which was seriously unlikely. As he flew high into the mountains, he finally spotted Piccolo who was floating cross-legged a few feet from the ground. Landing in front of his master, Gohan stood waiting for Piccolo to come out of his meditation. He didn't have to wait long as Piccolo opened his eyes whilst retaining his stoic looking face.

Not beating around the bush, Piccolo dived straight into his speech "This will not be like your previous training Gohan. Before, I had left you to the wild so you could learn how to fend for yourself. During this training, we will not be friends. We will be master and pupil until I release you from my mentorship or until you feel I can no longer assist you. This is the traditional form of training every great warrior goes through. Are you ready?"

"Yes Master Piccolo," replied Gohan standing to attention in a strong stance.

"The ground rules are simple. You will not transform into Super Saiyan without my leave. You will obey my instructions and not complain. You will not break the rules. Clear?"

"Yes Master Piccolo," repeated Gohan showing no signs of nervousness. He had expected this having spoken with Krillin many times about training with Master Roshi.

"First of all, we need to change that gi of yours." Piccolo pointed at Gohan's outfit letting out a stream of energy. The only noticeable difference was the insignia on the back. "My insignia has changed over time. My merging with Kami and Nail have changed my identity as a person," he explained as Gohan looked around at his new, clean outfit.

"Enough talk, we will begin with a test of strength to see what your power is like in base form. Follow me."

Gohan followed Piccolo as the two walked in silence towards a small clearing past many different rock formations. They stopped in the clearing which had five different colour planks of what appeared to be some dark metal.

"These metals are harder than any substance found on Earth. The darker they get, the harder the metal is. The last one is damn near unbreakable beyond even my own strength. I will only allow you to transform when you are able to punch through it with no effort. For now, we will start one at a time to see where you're at. Begin!"

Gohan immediately adopted a fighting stance facing the first plank of metal. As fast as he could, he punched through the metal leaving a fist-sized hole right in the centre. Knowing this was just the beginning, he pushed away any feeling of satisfaction he felt.

"Next one. Begin!"

Again, Gohan adopted his fighting stance and punched the metal with all his might. Although, the fist size hole was identical to the first, Gohan definitely felt the strength of the metal as he resisted the urge to check his hand. That one had hurt a little.

"Next one. Begin!"

Wondering if he would manage to punch through this one, Gohan quickly repeated his actions trying not to slow down too much. This time, he definitely felt pain as he couldn't help holding his hand looking at it in shock. Still, at least he had managed to punch through as with the others.

"Next one. Begin!" If Piccolo had noticed the pain he felt, he didn't show it.

Gohan took his time to breathe for this next challenge. He pushed the doubt away in his mind, he would not give in to the defeatist attitude of knowing this would hurt. If he allowed himself to continue with those thoughts, they would unquestionably become a reality. When he was finally ready, he let out a roar as he punched the metal with all his might. This time, he hadn't managed to punch all the way through but had succeeded in denting the metal slightly. His hand was pulsing in pain but at least no bones had been broken.

"You did better than I expected," said Piccolo not asking him to take on the fifth and final challenge. "At least now, I know where you're at. If you train hard, this plank should be effortless to you within a few months.

"A few months?!" Gohan couldn't help but exclaim his surprise. As a Saiyan, his strength grew much faster than a human's…or any other race he had met to so far.

"Yes, do not underestimate the strength of this material."

"What is it Master? I've never seen anything like it."

"I actually don't know the name. My people have always been able to create it since the knowledge was passed to us." Piccolo could see Gohan wanted to know more but the boy didn't ask out of respect.

"Gohan, we have a Master-Student relationship but if you have questions, you must ask. Sometimes I may not answer but you will never know if you never ask."

"Could you explain It further? I don't really understand."

"The ki of my people is different than any other I have encountered. We use our energy to create not just destroy. You have seen what my people have accomplished such as Dende's healing or the dragonballs. Even the gi you wear was created by my own energy. I cannot explain why but my race has always been deeply spiritual, connected to the universe in ways you cannot imagine. The planks were created from a sacred technique given to my people from the Kais. You know of them I assume?"

"My father talked a lot of King Kai and mentioned he was Kai of the North. I assume there are three others."

"Your knowledge is incomplete. Yes, there are four Kais which represent different areas of the universe. Above them is the Grand Kai who I know nothing about. The final Kai is the Supreme Kai, a being of immeasurable power. Nothing is known of him. The closest explanation I ever received from Kami suggested he is the God of our entire universe."

Gohan's mind boggled at this new information. The Kais seemsed to consist of Gods and demi-Gods, truly powerful beings. He felt pride knowing his father had been one of the few selected to be taken under a Kai's wing.

"A long time ago, before my time, it is said the Supreme Kai himself visited our planet. He was impressed with my people and taught us how to create using energy. It is almost instinctual for us. The test of this technique is creating something truly indestructible. I have never been able to create such a durable material but I have succeeded in creating what you see before you. These blocks have been used for generations amongst the warriors of my people to both increase and test strength."

"Will I be able to create too?"

"No, this is an ability tied closely to the heritage of Namekians. It is not dissimilar to the Saiyan instincts you have for yourself." **(A/N: My take on Piccolo's Magic Materialization)**

With the short lesson over, Piccolo quickly brought Gohan back to attention. "Enough talk, we begin your training now. He laughed internally at Gohan's enthusiasm. That would have to disappear. "Let's change the weight of your outfit shall we?" Piccolo focused hard knowing this was going to take up much of his energy. After finally gathering enough energy, Piccolo pointed his entire arm at Gohan releasing a bright yellow beam.

The instant it reached Gohan, he collapsed under the weight of his gi caught by surprise. His surprise only increased as he had to put an incredible amount of effort it just to stand. _'Another reason he didn't want me going Super Saiyan,'_ he thought as he forced down the instinct to transform. He knew he could handle the weight without an issue if he transformed.

"Get used to the weight kid, I'll be making it heavier every weak," grunted Piccolo trying not to show just how winded he was. Adding ten tonnes of mass to Gohan's gi was one of the most taxing things he'd done for quite some time. "I've been thinking of re-creating some of Namek here on Earth starting with Grand Elder Guru's house. I hope you remember the pillar formation upon which the house stood?"

Gohan's eyes widened as he realised how important his task was. He owed a lot to Guru, maybe this was a way of showing his respect and thanks after so many years. A shrine to the kind man who had unlocked so much of his power. "Yes master."

"Good. You're going to create a replica of the formation without the use of ki. I expect this to be completed before you head to school again. Understood?"

Gohan's mind boggled knowing how long that would take. The combination of his heavy gi and inability to use ki, this could take quite soon time. Nevertheless, this was his designated task and Piccolo had done him the favour of making it something of profound importance instead of the mindless weight-lifting Vegeta did. "Yes master…and thank you."

With that Gohan got to work moving sluggishly still adjusting to the weight of his gi. He hadn't felt so much pressure on his body in years. Creating the pillar formation could be done two ways. He could literally carve the formation out of the mountain or he could walk back and forth carrying material to build the formation where they currently stood. The latter was obviously what Piccolo intended for him to do. He began by carrying smaller boulders still getting used to so much weight. He was already starting to sweat aware he needed larger chunks of rock for a solid base. For now, he would just gather everything he needed to one spot, that was probably the best plan.

The next few hours were brutal. He had only managed to gather enough material for a thin base knowing he would have to punch down the rocks to compress it together. His body was already starting to feel feeling fatigued and the desire to transform was growing stronger. It would be so easy to transform and finish everything. The silence was also starting to get to him. Piccolo hadn't said a word since and merely watched him betraying none of his thoughts. He wanted to voice his hunger and his tiredness but know it would be pointless. More than that, it would be admitting defeat as if he were still a helpless child not knowing how to dodge a simple punch.

Piccolo was watching Gohan wondering if had been too hard on the boy. He was moving slower than expected and at the current pace, a week wasn't going to be long enough unless he worked into the night. Still, Gohan was the most powerful mortal in the universe and had a knack for finding new grit as situations became more serious. He would keep faith in his student, he couldn't be soft on him. This was necessary.

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 **A/N: I'll be stopping here making this a shorter chapter as I'd like some thoughts on the first training regimen. I like the idea but I'm not sure how convincing it really is. I'm not one to beg for reviews but I would appreciate feedback on this. If the idea proves to be useless, I will consider re-writing this chapter completely.**

 **Update: Thanks for the those who reviewed. Since people seem ok with the first training method I've come up with, I'll finish this chapter making it a bit more rounded.**

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 _'Come on kid, dig deep. You have more, I know you do,'_ thought Piccolo as he watched Gohan continue his work in silence. He had hoped for slightly faster progress but Gohan was maintaining a slow pace, too slow to complete his work. It was getting to the end of the day with the sun starting its daily descent. Gohan had not complained once so far but it was clear the boy was also starting to doubt himself. He'd never been good at hiding his inner feelings. The first day was almost over and it didn't look like Gohan was going to have the base of his towers finished.

Ignoring his teacher's gaze, Gohan was concentrating hard on continuing his work. It was mind-numbing in many respects. The repetitive nature of his task was beginning to wear him down and he knew he was working far too slow. He had lost count of the number of trips he'd made walking back and forth carrying rocks of all sizes. He'd felt proud and hour ago thinking he might have enough to start the base of his formation. Unfortunately, he'd miscalculated how much he needed for a solid base. Pounding and compressing the rocks and other material together so they wouldn't collapse had really shortened his base and it was only half complete. He couldn't even pretend it was close, it was barely the height of a stair fit for Krillin. The magnificent formation he remembered from Namek had a base at least the height of Dende.

The frustration was starting to get to him and the silence made it even worse. He was left to his own thoughts and a small voice kept telling him louder and louder that he was going to let down his master and fail on his very first task. For the entire day, he'd been suppressing his doubts and desire to transform trying to channel his energy to finishing his assignment. He trusted Piccolo's ability to teach but was starting to wonder if his gi really needed to be this heavy. Every muscle was aching and his arms were getting heavier and heavier with each walk he made. He wiped the dripped sweat from his brow immediately regretting the decision. He hadn't raised his arms so high for quite some time now and he couldn't afford to waste any energy right now.

"Enough Gohan, come join me."

His deep focus was broken by the voice of his master. It was the first time Piccolo had spoken since setting him the arduous task. Was he going to be disappointed with his lack of progress? Surely he'd give him more time to catch up? The first day wasn't even over and he had a week to get into the swing of things. Nevertheless, he walked towards Piccolo and took a seat on the ground in front of his master relishing the small relief he felt in his legs.

"How are you feeling Gohan?" Such a simple yet complex question.

"I'm knackered but I can continue. I know I'm behind but I will get this done! I promise!" Gohan didn't want to disappoint Piccolo, it was his first day!

Although Piccolo was sighing internally he let nothing show. He hated pushing Gohan this much but it had to be done. Still, he knew he was missing something, something important. There was an element to Gohan he needed bring out but he was unable to pinpoint it.

"What were you thinking about this entire time?"

Gohan paused wondering if this was a test he needed to pass. Was there a right answer Piccolo was expecting? Did he want Gohan to talk of his memories of Guru? Or was this simply a chance for him to vent his frustrations? He decided to go with honesty.

"I've been frustrated the entire day," he admitted roughly still breathing heavily from his work. "There's been a voice of doubt growing steadily telling me I won't complete this in time. I've also had to push down the temptation to transform knowing this would be so much easier. It's been hard but I know I can do it. I won't let you down master, I refuse to!" He finished panting hard desperate for water. As much as he wanted to continue working, he couldn't wait to get home and gorge himself on his mother's cooking before falling asleep on his bed.

"That's good," replied Piccolo noting the look of surprise on Gohan's face. "Training is not meant to be easy or even just hard. If you wish to truly push yourself to new heights, you have to face the most daunting of challenges. It is natural to experience such thoughts. I promise you that your father and even Vegeta feel like this all the time when they train. The true challenge is overcoming such emotions and meeting the trial head on till you discover new depths you never knew were there."

Gohan allowed the wise words of his master sink in. He knew without doubt that Piccolo was right and tried to burn them into the forefront of his mind. If he could use them as a focus, hopefully it would help him overcome any stray thoughts. "Yes master, I understand."

"I've watched you work all day and I admit I thought you would have gotten more used to the weight by now. It is essential for every fighter to have a focus when facing such challenges. For your father, it is the desire to be the best he can possibly be. For Vegeta, it is the desire to be the strongest standing tall above everyone else. For me, it is the desire to discover what I am truly capable of. Watching you…I am unable to see what your focus is. I want you to meditate thinking of this."

"Yes master," came the shaky reply of Gohan. He knew of all the challenges Piccolo could throw his way, this would be the most difficult. Part of him had been avoiding this issue hoping his training would give me the answer. His frustrations of not knowing what he wanted in life and his inability to find anything to dedicate his life towards had been leading him to this point. He felt a small amount of shame that he needed to be reminded of this. Piccolo had told him long ago he needed to find his own path alone, no one could choose it or find it for him. It was always down to him. Was this part of growing up?

Realising he was letting his doubts cloud his mind again, Gohan shook his head remembering the previous words of his master. He had to overcome these thoughts but not ignore them. For now, he would continue his rock formation but this time he would keep trying different focuses to see what worked.

"I understand master. May I continue my work now?"

Piccolo let out a small cheer inside. Finally, something had clicked in the boy's brain. There was a fiery determination in his eyes and he seemed to finally understand what it meant to try and find a purpose.

"Yes Gohan. Continue until sunset and then return home. I will see you tomorrow morning." With that, Piccolo left without a word returning to Kami's Lookout. He knew Gohan would ok on his own now. His presence would merely hinder the boy's progress serving as a distraction. _'Good luck Gohan.'_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I expect there will be more delays to come…I'm sure some of you can empathise with coming out of a long term relationship. My mind just isn't in the right place. That being said, I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

Gohan pressed his hands into an enormous tower rounding it off as well as he could. He had started on the main tower upon which the house would stand. It was coming along nicely if he did say so himself. His base was perfect in his opinion. At first, he had made it perfectly circular letting his perfectionism dictate his actions. That was until he had returned from another trip. The base looked too perfect, artificial almost. He'd had to kick at it scuffing away pieces of his masterpiece making it look more natural, as if it truly belonged in the environment.

The tower itself had been incredibly challenging. Not only was he using up an incredible amount of energy to fly higher and higher as he built the mast but he'd had to re-built parts of it as it kept breaking. That was when it dawned on me to press with rounded palms rather than simply pound away with his fists. Still, considering he was on his fourth day, he was feeling far more confident. He had finally caught up and was back on track to finish his creation by the end of the week. His gi was still weighing him down and making it difficult to manoeuvre smoothly but he had become more accustomed to the heavy load. He knew his choice of focus wouldn't last beyond his first week though.

For inspiration and motivation, he had focused passionately on his memories to whom this enormous shrine was dedicated to. He owed Guru so much. The kindly man had used his spent some of his final moments aiding Gohan unleashing so much hidden potential instead of spending them lovingly with his many children. The wise yet obese Namekian was someone Gohan could never forget. Even now with all the effort Gohan was putting into building this shrine, it would never be enough. Guru was gone forever now and his actions could never be justly repaid.

Piccolo had remained silent the entire time watching Gohan work with increased zeal. He was proud of his student; he could sense the thoughts Gohan had used as his focus. Guru was in some ways a father to him. Nail had become a part of him, fusing together to form a new being in order to save their dying race. The Nail in him wanted to cheer Gohan out loud and talk with touching words. The Kami in him wished to continue passing on wisdom the boy was not ready for but would one day value. However, he, Piccolo was the master here. His silence was simply his way of being. Gohan knew this better than anyone, even Dende who had spent almost every waking minute with his pseudo brother for many years.

In his silence, he mused on whether Gohan would ever actually become a warrior. His talent in martial arts was undeniable and his power was incredible. And yet, there was no will to train for his wish own wishes. There was no desire to improve himself out of his own choosing. The progress he had made on his task was commendable but his choice of focus was flawed. Gohan clearly felt that this was something he should do, not something he wanted to do from the bottom of his heart. It didn't fill him with eagerness and enthusiasm the same way it did with the Z-warriors. It might happen but not until the boy worked out what he wanted to do with his life.

For three days, Piccolo had tried to look at Gohan with unbiased eyes wondering what would be Gohan's journey. He was so talented in everything he did. His intelligence was at levels that allowed him to build robots and theorise improvements. Whilst never wanting to be a scholar, that was a path still open to him if he ever got over his rebellion against his mother. He could certainly become a warrior if he chose to with more talent than any living being. Hell, the boy could even become an artist with his aptitude for painting. Piccolo wondered if Gohan's dilemma in choosing what he wanted to do with his life was the sheer number of possibilities that were open to him. Perhaps he didn't want to give any of them up? No, that wasn't it. There was always time to do what you wanted if you kept a balanced life. With a sigh, Piccolo came back to the same conclusion he always did. Gohan just didn't have any true passion in any of the things he did. He lived day by day doing whatever he pleased enjoying himself without life-changing moments.

Not wanting to focus on the past, Piccolo pushed away regrets he felt towards Gohan's childhood. Although his sheltered upbringing could be blamed mostly on Chi-Chi, he himself had played a large part in Gohan's loneliness. It had never mattered what he was doing, Piccolo had always pulled him out of it whenever the Earth was in danger which happened too frequently for anybody's liking. He had to focus on Gohan's future and support him till he found what he wanted. For now, at least training was serving as a well-needed distraction.

* * *

Eliza was having a strange week. She had never been one of the more noticeable girls at school. She was plain-looking and kept mostly to herself along with her small entourage of friends. She was quite content with her simple life. It was simple but happy. That had all changed upon meeting Son Chi-Chi. Within a few days, she had known what I felt like to be the person everyone wanted to talk to and what it felt like to be on the other side with everyone giving you looks of hatred.

She didn't know how but somehow, the rumours had spun wildly out of control. Being friendly, she had told a few people who'd asked about the story of Son Chi-Chi and Son Goku. The inspirational and romantic story she had recited with such passion had in some way led to everyone believing she had denounced Hercule Satan. More than half the school believed she had defended Son Goku and the so-called 'tricks' he'd used to win his title. Personally, she didn't really have much of an opinion on the matter. Whilst the martial arts were important to many people, Eliza had never really followed the sport with any interest whatsoever. If she saw a punch being thrown, she couldn't tell you if it was a boxing punch, a specific form of martial arts or just a wild swing. How on Earth would she know anything about the light 'tricks?' All she saw was one champion criticising the previous champion who had never been again. Sure Hercule Satan had defeated Cell but that didn't mean he was the authority on pretty much every martial arts tournament there had ever been.

Sighing softly, she closed her locker happy the school day was over. The whispers and dark looks would finally go away. At least this experience had shown her who her true friends were. She had always thought the small circle of friends she was part of was unbreakable. They were close and spend almost all their time together. Yet through all the trials and drama that made up school life, this had really been the only time she ever really needed her friends to support her and be around her. It had come as shock to the system to see two of her friends avoiding her keen to avoid the wrath of the school. How could the same people she would do anything for drop her so easily? It's not like there was actually any danger, there had been no physical threats. There had just been indignant words, some admittedly harsh insults and some dark looks. Surely anyone could endure such actions for a friend?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by one irate looking Videl Satan who was standing in front of her looking utterly disgusted. Despite the heiress' right arm being in a cast, she was still very intimidating with a glare that made her wonder if she was finally going to be physically assaulted.

"Hi Videl," she squeaked cursing the pathetic voice she had ended up with.

Ignoring the greeting, Videl got straight to it. "So I hear you called my father a fraud and a liar." She seemed to get angrier just be speaking.

"What?! I didn't say that! Who told you that?!" Eliza was both mortified and scared. If Videl believed the rumours too, she would definitely end up hitting her.

"Oh really? Everyone in school seems to know it and don't think I forgot your little fan-girl moment in class."

"That doesn't mean anything! I didn't say anything about your father! I only gave told the story of Son-Chi Chi since that's what everyone wanted to know. Ask Erasa, I told her too!"

Videl frowned at that. At first, she hadn't believed a word coming out of the snivelling girl's mouth…but if she had told Erasa. "So you're telling me if I ask Erasa, she'll back you up?"

Eliza sighed in relief. Maybe she would walk away unscathed after all. If she lucky, maybe Videl would even use that venomous nature of hers to correct the rumour-mill. "Yes, ask Erasa. We talked the very same day Son Chi-Chi came to school. She'll tell you everything."

Videl's frown hadn't disappeared. _'Why wouldn't Erasa tell me?'_ she thought wondering about her best friend. True, Videl hadn't mentioned how the rumours had pissed her off but Erasa never stopped gossiping especially about school. "Fine, you're off the hook for now," she replied finally leaving behind a relived looking Eliza.

Eliza's relief turned to anger rather quickly. She had never had problems with Videl, they weren't part of the same social groups and had never really talked much. She'd heard plenty of rumours to which she paid no attention and knew Videl assisted the police. This conversation had changed all that, now she really disliked the daughter of the champ. She was no better than a thug or a brute using violence or intimidation whenever she pleased to get her way and always using it as first-choice to settle matters. Eliza wondered just how good the Satan's PR firm was to cover this all up. In fact, now she thought about it, Videl had hit plenty of students in school and the ones were lucky enough not to get hit feared they would. If the Satan heiress could be such a person, was it really a stretch to think her father might be similar? The man was well-known for his boastfulness even though it was probably deserved Eliza had to admit grudgingly. However, whenever he was angry at a reporter's question or any challenge, he had always threatened them and reminded everyone how he'd saved their lives. _'Maybe he is a liar.'_

Suddenly breaking from her musing, she realised with everything going on in school, someone else needed to know. Hesitantly, she took out her phone and texted her newest contact.

* * *

Gohan had finished his training for the day. It was getting late with the sun down replaced with the moon which Gohan had spent many a night staring at. As he dragged his ragged body closer to the house, he heard familiar voices. Trunks was over and probably causing some havoc with Goten. He hoped they hadn't had any sugar; he really didn't have the strength to play games with them right now. Finally reaching home, he walked in on a pleasant surprise.

"Gohan, there you are. It's been too long." It was Bulma and she looked just the same as always. Gohan wondered if there was some anti-ageing cream his mother and Bulma used. They hadn't aged a day as long as he'd known them.

"Oh hi Bulma, what are you doing here?" he asked hoping nothing was wrong. He couldn't even remember the last time she had come for a visit. Trunks was the only regular Brief who came over.

"Now is that any way to greet your god-mother? And after I made such a long trip," Bulma sighed dramatically holding her hand to her heart.

Smiling at the teasing, Gohan corrected his mistake pulling his god-mother into a hug. It really had been too long. "Sorry, I just came back from training and wasn't thinking straight. How have you been?"

"Oh you know, the usual. Making sure Trunks doesn't blow up the city and don't get me started on Vegeta. So you're training now? I hear you managed to convince Chi-Chi to let you out of school. Nice going buddy."

Gohan laughed softly hoping Bulma wouldn't ramp up his mother too much. "Yeah I've started training quite seriously with Piccolo again. It's going pretty well. I don't mean to be rude but I'm starving. Do you mind if we catch up while I eat?"

Bulma had an amused look on her face. "Like you could say anything whilst eating. You Saiyans are like monsters around food. How you ever eat at that speed and put it all away I'll never know. It's late so I'll be staying over, we'll have plenty of time to catch up."

Grinning at the mention of his eating habits, Gohan immediately went to the kitchen where the table was already piled high with food, courtesy of his loving mother. Within ten minutes of frantic consumption, Gohan had finished everything having eaten enough to feed his entire school. Exhaling blissfully, he leant back to close his eyes allowing his content to seep throughout his body. He'd love nothing more than to go straight to sleep but since Bulma was over, he knew that luxury would have to wait. He walking to the living room where Chi-Chi and Bulma were chatting away. Straightaway, he could see Bulma looking irrated while his mother looked rather smug and mischievous of the same time. It was rather unnerving to see his mother's face look like Goten's.

"Oh Gohan, how was your day?" asked his mother who quickly gave him a hug. "I was just telling Bulma how she placed 5th in the most inspirational women category." To his surprise, his mum let out a small snicker unable to help herself. Gohan caught on to the joke knowing his mother had placed higher. He wondered how much it actually meant to his mother. True, she had never complained and never seemed envious of Bulma's talents or notoriety but she had never actually beaten Bulma in anything either aside from getting married first. It was a welcome change for the Son family.

Still sitting on the sofa, Bulma merely harrumphed but had a small smile. "Yes yes Chi-Chi, we all know you beat me. Well done."

"Why thank you, I might get this framed you know. It will be nice to hang my own achievement next to all of Gohan and Goku's many tokens."

"You should, you earned it after all." Bulma had been at the house for two hours but was still amazed at the change in her friend. Not only had she arrived to find Chi-Chi training with Goten but the woman had lightened up so much! No longer was there obsession with studies or crying over Goku, there was just joy in talking about her sons and she had even started looking at her own life outside of being a housewife. She turned her attention to Gohan who had decided to take a seat on the chair across from her. "So Gohan, let's not talk about training so much. I get that enough from Vegeta and Trunks, _trust_ me. Your mom told me about the troubles at school. Thanks for keeping me in the loop by the way. You know you can always come to me right?"

"Ah yeah, sorry about that. I just didn't want to come around the house with Vegeta around and I've just been so busy since that day," Gohan explained apologetically. Even if he didn't go around to the house anymore courtesy of Vegeta, he could have at least called his god-mother to tell her what happened. Come to think of it, he should probably call Krillin sometime too, it had been a while.

"No worries, at least I know now. Just don't let it happen in the future, I do like being a part of your life you know. Anyway, ignoring all the morons at your school, did you find anyone you liked? A girl perhaps?" Bulma asked raising her eyebrows suggestively. She was quite amazed when there was no outburst from Chi-Chi who was watching their exchange with a smile on content. _'Wow, Chi-Chi's really mellowed out…Gohan is one amazing kid.'_

"You too? Mum's already decided a girlfriend would solve all my troubles. And to answer your question, no I didn't really get along with anyone. I did kind of stick to myself though, I only talked to a few people throughout the whole day."

"Hmm…do you think you'll talk to more people when you go back? You obviously won't get along with everyone but I'm sure there's a few people you'll get on with."

"I don't think so Bulma, I'm only doing school to get my diploma to be honest. Besides, I don't really have much free time now that I'm back in training again."

"Ah-Fair enough I suppose. You better start visiting me more though Gohan! How about you hang out with me at the CC after school? We can catch up and have a laugh. Training's all good and dandy but you need to relax sometimes too." Bulma was quietly worried about her god-son. Whilst nothing could penetrate that iron flesh of his, the boy needed some more human contact in his life outside of his family. Being so along…it just wasn't healthy.

"That would be nice," Gohan replied with a soft smile. _'It really has been too long.'_

"Excellent! Now, I really should get back. I don't trust Trunks on his own, you fighters and your ki sensing malarkey! As soon as I leave the house, that boy always knows and immediately eats all the sugar he can get his little hands on." Bulma smiled despite her complaining. _'Boys will be boys.'_

Gohan was a little disappointed that Bulma was leaving already. It only solidified his resolve to spend more time with her. _'It has definitely been too long,'_ he thought as he walked her to the door with Chi-Chi beside him.

Bulma gave her final farewells with warm hugs to both mother and son before climbing into her latest air-craft. As she set off with the automatic pilot, she waved back at Gohan and Chi-Chi who were waving her off from the front door.

* * *

Gohan was just about to go to sleep when he noticed a blinking light coming from his phone which was lying on his bedside drawer. _'Who on Earth is messaging me?'_ he thought knowing only Bulma, his family and close friends had this number. Bulma was just here and his other friends would sooner visit him than send a message via text. In fact, most of them didn't even have phones and the ones who did were incredibly inept with the technology.

Quickly flicking to the message, he groaned as he noticed it was from Eliza, the fan-girl of his mother. Before checking it, he briefly considered ignoring it but curiosity got the better of him.

' **Hi Gohan, it's Eliza. Sorry to bother you but I thought you should know everyone in school is talking about your family. I don't know how it happened but after telling some people about your mum's story, somehow everyone moved to talking about…your dad and what Mr. Satan said about him. I just thought you should know…sorry…'**

Paying no regard to his phone's structural integrity, Gohan crushed the offending metal with his hand gripping it a tight fury. Oh how he hated that accursed city and the idiotic man who dared called himself a champion. If it wasn't for the sheer fatigue he was feeling, he was sure he would have left the house and gone to blow something up. With that thought, he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep properly tonight and the fatigue he felt was quickly disappearing as his energy was re-fuelling from his emotions. He could feel his transformation approaching and wanted to let it happen but the image of a disappointed Piccolo came to mind.

His anger started to cool slowly as he knew he had to get it under control. There was no excuse for letting down Piccolo, not after everything the Namekian had done for him. Still…the temptation was so great and he knew he had to do something with this rising energy. His frustration at not being allowed to transform was slowly adding to his initial fury as he started to enter the vicious cycle of anger.

Gohan knew he was slowly starting to lose it and he had to leave the house to do some training. With his mind made up, he looked back at his heavy gi which was lying outside drying after a quick wash in the river. Nodding softly to himself, he quietly flew out the window towards his master's gift hoping it would be his salvation. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel the weight anymore as he threw it on haphazardly but it certainly didn't feel like the burden it had been the last few days. His mind was still on the bastard Satan and the dishonour he had incessantly bestowed on his family.

As he reached the mountains well out of range from his house, Gohan immediately started shadow-fighting going through every fighting move he could think of at rapid pace. Normally, he would pace himself with discipline but right now he just wanted to punch and kick the air as hard as he possibly could. After five minutes, he was sweating profusely and his anger had not sated one bit. Pausing, he looked around to see if he had accidently damaged anything nearby knowing he was rather prone to doing so. He hadn't.

Gohan was just about to continue his reckless assault on the air when he saw his tower sticking out above the treeline. His anger didn't vanish but it was no longer at the forefront of his mind. Instead, he saw Guru, the most peaceful man he had ever met; even more so than his father and even Dende. Feeling a small amount of shame at his reaction to a simple text, Gohan recalled the horrors that were visited upon planet Namek. They were far and beyond anything he himself had been through especially in the last month and still they remained more peaceful than he could claim to be.

He flew over to his tower and sat at the base remembering how beautiful Namek was before Frieza unleashed his own anger on the planet. Now he thought about it, why was his focus solely on Guru and what the old man had done for him? Guru meant far more to the people of Namek than he could ever dream of. He was even the father on Dende and of Piccolo albeit in some pseudo fashion. With shock, he recalled how Piccolo spoke of wanting to create a little of Namek here on Earth. It had always seemed like an excellent idea to Gohan but the meaning of this structure had clearly been lost on him till now despite his previous appreciation.

Gohan had never been so inspired or envious in his life. The people of Namek were so much better than him for all his power. They were powerful but non-violent and peaceful. But how? Gohan wanted to be more like them, he truly did. Looking up at his tower as if it would give him some answer, Gohan decided to put himself to work. Sitting down and thinking deeply might be the outlet for Namekians but hard work was what he needed as a Human-Saiyan hybrid. Without further thought, Gohan got to work not noticing Piccolo floating high in the sky watching with a single tear threatening to fall from his emotion-filled eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I don't know about you guys but I thought the last chapter really sucked. It just felt out of place with this story. If you agree, do let me know and I'll think about re-writing it. Hopefully this chapter is more in line with what I've been writing. It certainly feels more right to me.**

* * *

Orange Star High School had been buzzing with chatter all week and not for the first time, it was starting to grate on Videl's nerves. Son Gohan hadn't been seen since his mother came to pick him up but already rumours were flying around one becoming more crazy every day. Even with the nonsense she had to put up with as a celebrity, Videl was amazed what people could believe just because it sounded juicy. The latest theory people had was Gohan had been forced to leave for causing Videl such humiliation on his first day. The cherry on top being his father was Hercule Satan's predecessor and evidently someone the champ had called a fake.

"Come on Kyle, you know how Videl is. Is it really hard to imagine her getting rid of someone she didn't like?"

Videl growled and balled her fists at hearing the latest garbage from some passer-by. In her mind, these people were incredibly unappreciative of her family. First her father had saved the entire world from Cell and she herself had been working with the police to lower crime in the city. She gritted her teeth in frustration at the reminder of working with the police. Looking at her arm still in cast, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at the souvenir of her most recent failure. In retrospect, perhaps it was a bit foolhardy to walk in and attack with no backup but she'd never really needed it before and besides, her father never needed backup!

"Hey Videl!"

Videl was pulled from her angry moping by her best friend Erasa who despite everything, still had the same beaming smile as always. Erasa took her customary lunchtime seat next to Videl quickly stealing one her friend's chips.

"Hey Erasa," she mumbled back unable to find the energy to fake happiness. If her friend had noticed, she certainly didn't show it.

"So what should we do after school today? I managed to get Sharpner to join us so we have to do something!"

"You actually got Sharpner to come?" VIdel was surprised by that. True to his word, Sharpner hadn't come to talk with her apart from wishing her well after her injury. To his credit, she hadn't exactly acted any different to before, she was still aloof and had even threatened him mildly when he criticized her.

"Yep, I told him I want the two of you to sort this mess out. It's annoying for me to keep going back and forth between you."

"Thanks Erasa," said Videl giving her friend a small smile. It was possibly the only bit of good news she'd had for a while now.

"You could have just asked him yourself you know. It's not like he hates you."

Videl merely ignored the comment and continued eating her lunch. Erasa would never understand what it was like to be a Satan. The whole world was always watching and any weakness was always going to be exploited. More than that, hadn't her family earned their pride?

"Anyway, I was thinking we could just go to the mall or something. It'll give the two of you the chance to sort this mess out away from prying eyes." Erasa looked around at their fellow students to emphasise the point.

"Sounds good," Videl replied not knowing what else to say. Truth to be told, she felt rather nervous about the upcoming conversation. Sure, she would have to apologise for her trying to attack Gohan but what did that annoying kid have to do with her friends? Sharpner was worried she might attack him too but why? The only thing she ever did was punch his stomach when he got too hands-on or insisted that she should go out with him. She couldn't really say sorry for that, not when she wasn't. If anything, she felt Sharpner should at least agree to back off in that respect if he was forcing Videl to apologise.

"Don't be so grumpy Videl, this is good news. What's got you down now?" Erasa asked in exasperation. There was always something with Videl, it was just bouncing for one thing to the next.

"You know what Erasa. It's these damn idiots with their stupid rumours. They don't even have the decency to check if I'm around or not!"

Erasa looked uncomfortable at her friend's outburst not really knowing what to say. She herself was aware of the rumours of course but also knew what Videl hadn't heard just yet. "Look Videl, just ignore them, it's like we're friends with them or anything. If it makes you feel better, just remember after school, they're the ones whose only claim to fame will be they went to school with you."

Videl snorted at her friend's joke. Even if she didn't want to admit it, Erasa had cheered her up immensely and the idea of her classmate's pitiful futures was a comforting thought in some ways. "Yeah that's true. Good one Erasa," she finished with a small chuckle unable to help herself.

"Anyway, I have the most amazing gossip which you will not believe."

Videl groaned unable to believe she didn't see this coming. One second, Erasa was cheering her up and insulting the gossipers of the school…and now she wanted to gossip. "Ok, ok, surprise me," she forced out knowing there was no way of stopping this. Dealing with Erasa usually meant letting her have her way and getting it over with. _'I wonder if Erasa feels the same way about me,'_ Videl thought, hit with sudden epiphany.

"Take a look at this!" Erasa held out her phone triumphantly showing Videl a picture of some people laughing together. Taking the phone, Videl examined the picture closely to see her the people were. She gasped realising that these were all incredibly famous people but she had no idea that they knew each other. They were all so…young compared to how she had always seen them.

"Is this real?" she asked tentatively knowing all too well how tech-handy people could come up with the most incredibly hoaxes.

"Yep, it is. Do you know everyone there?"

"I know most of them. That's definitely Yamcha, the famous baseball player and next to him is Bulma Briefs. That makes sense, it's well known they used to date. I have no idea why Tien Shinhan is with them, he's a former world champion! That short guy is Krillin, there's not much known about him but he's a monk who was also in the world tournament. The guy next to him is…Son Goku?! How on Earth does he know any of these people? I have no idea who the old guy is though." Videl didn't really know what to think about the picture. These were all incredibly talented and rather well-known people but apart from this picture, there was no real reason to think they all knew each other.

"They look pretty close right? It's pretty cool to think these old people had friendships just like us when they were our age. I've always thought so when my parents show me their old pictures too."

"Yeah, yeah, I agree with that but where the hell did you get the picture Erasa? The media would kill for it you know."

"Hehe, I wouldn't go to the media with it, you know me. The picture came from an old shop which actually developed the original, it was just recently found in storage…by my dad."

"Wow…but why show me?"

"Well I didn't really remember everyone here but it wasn't hard to recognise Yamcha, Bulma Briefs and Son Goku. I just thought it was amazing that all these well-accomplished people are friends with each other. If you think about it, they're each at the top of whatever they do. That and they're clearly not public with the friendships."

"You think Bulma Brief is the one who's helping the previous champions cheat!" Videl exclaimed as the full impact of the picture dawned on her. "And Yamcha too! It would explain why he's so good, no one even comes close to his record!"

Erasa was stunned by her friend's outburst. "Umm…I didn't think that Videl. I just thought it was amazing that no one knew they were friends when they're so famous."

"But don't you see?! Bulma Briefs is probably the smartest woman on the planet, Capsule Corp makes products other tech companies can't even imagine! This would explain how they all did their tricks to win the tournaments without fighting properly."

"Umm…I think that's a lot to assume Videl. Bulma Briefs is also probably the wealthiest and most influential woman on the planet. Why would she risk all that to help some people cheat?"

"That's what I plan on finding out. I can't fight crime with my busted arm but I can still investigate when there's no violence involved. Send me the picture and I'll get things started." Videl was overjoyed at her friend's 'gossip.' This was the answer her family had always been looking for. Despite everything her father had done for people, there were still those who looked down on him calling him a fake and a liar unable to prove the previous champion's deceit.

Erasa, on the other hand, was not happy. Instead, she felt incredibly nervous by her friend's energy knowing how tenacious Videl could be. "I can't do that Videl…" she said softly hoping everything would be ok.

"What! Why not?" Videl snapped feeling her previous frustration coming back.

"My dad found the picture at the old copy store he just bought. He only managed to afford it because he promised to take care of the owner's winding down problems. He's actually meant to return the old pictures back to their owners or destroy them if he can't find them. He only showed my mother and me. It's meant to stay within the family, otherwise he could get in serious trouble."

"That's ridiculous. This picture is evidence of fraud, we need it to bring them to justice and finally prove they were tricks. This was years ago, imagine how much subtler they could be now!" Videl ranted unable to believe she was actually having to argue about this.

"I only showed you it because I thought it was amazing such famous people knew each other and because it showed some cool friendships. I'm not going to risk my dad's future just so you can settle your vendetta. The picture shows some well-known people being friends, it's not evidence of anything."

"I can't believe you Erasa! How could you let me down like this? You know I'm right."

"No Videl," Erasa said sharply. "I don't think you're right and I can't believe you actually want to risk my dad's future just to settle this. You're meant to be with the police and what you're asking is technically illegal."

"No it's not! I know the law better than you Erasa. This can be used as evidence so give me the phone now."

Erasa was stunned at her friend's stubbornness. Was Videl really so blind to the damage this could cause her family? Even if she was right, that would mean going up against Bulma Briefs and Capsule Corp…. even Hercule Satan didn't mess with them. It saddened her but she knew what she had to do. She quickly tapped the phone a couple of times in case Videl tried to snag it.

"It's gone Videl, I've deleted it."

Videl stared at her friend in shock. How could Erasa do this to her? She needed that picture, it was the only way she could get the Satan investigators to believe her story. Going up against the Briefs was something which required some evidence.

"I can't believe you just did that Erasa," said Videl through gritted teeth. She hadn't felt this angry in so long, why couldn't people just do the right thing!

"No, I can't believe you Videl. I'm going to class now and catch up with some other friends. You can still come to the mall if you want but don't expect me or Sharpner to hang out with you if you won't drop this." Without waiting for a reply, Erasa picked her bag and left quickly not wanting to show Videl the tears pouring down her face.

* * *

Gohan stood side by side with his master looking on his creation with no small amount of pride. It had taken a lot of work and a lot of time but he had finally finished his task with an entire day to spare no less. It wasn't a perfect replica of the Namekian structure but the majesty was there albeit rather plain-coloured compared with the multi-coloured natural construction that used to be on Namek.

"I'm surprised Gohan. You started rather slow and you've managed to finish with an entire day to spare. Looks rather good too, we'll do the final touches with Dende later, I know he'd love it."

"Yeah, this probably means far more to Dende than either of us," Gohan smiled knowing despite being the new God of Earth, the young Namekian still missed his people and his home. "I doubt I would have finished if I wasn't working into the night though, it helped that I had a lot of stuff to work through."

Piccolo's face remained impassive as ever but he was frowning inwardly. He knew Gohan had been working in the night but wasn't aware that he needed to work through a lot of things. As far as he was aware, the motivation came from the memory of his people who had inspired his student. Not that he was complaining, it was good that Gohan was putting his frustrations into training rather than sending ki balls into space.

"Oh? What did you need to work through?" Piccolo considered how their relationship had changed since becoming teacher and student again. It was much the same since Gohan always considered him his sensei but he didn't really talk about his personal life anymore the way he used to.

"Ah…nothing really, just some stupid things getting the better of me."

Piccolo sighed internally for what felt like the hundredth time this month. Dealing with Gohan as a kid was so much easier, he would just answer you straight instead of going through the same old dance. "Nevertheless, I would like to know. Just because I'm your master again doesn't mean we can't talk."

Gohan knew Piccolo was right. Truth be told, he was partially grateful that their new-old-new teacher-student relationship had stopped them talking about his issues. Piccolo had been there his whole life whenever Gohan wanted to talk but he had been a kid then. Now…talking about his anger after the fact made him feel rather petulant. "It's just school stuff and Satan City again. I found out everyone's talking about dad now and what that Satan idiot said about him. Just talking about gets me angry, I mean who the hell do they think they are!" he finished through gritted teeth refusing to allow any further anger in front of his teacher.

Piccolo remained silent allowing Gohan to regain his composure. "I see. I can see it was a good thing to take you out of school then, you're clearly not ready for it. The one day you do go is going to be very trying. We'll have to do something about that."

Even though he knew Piccolo wasn't rebuking him, Gohan hung his head at hearing he wasn't ready. It was a troubling dilemma where he truly felt trapped between what he felt and what he knew was right. On one hand, he truly felt vengeful and anger at the dishonour the people branded upon his family but on the other hand, his father, his family, his friends and even all of his training dictated he should not respond with violence. He was meant to be the bigger man and take it all in stride not allowing it to corrupt him.

"There is no shame in anger Gohan." Piccolo wasn't entirely sure how Gohan felt about the issue but could follow the breadcrumbs. "Don't forget I tried to conquer the world and kill your father. Even Tien went through his fair share of problems when he was with the Cranes, you never saw it but he was incredibly violent. I do not mean to speak ill of your father but never forget if it wasn't for that bump on the head, it's unimaginable what damage he could have caused. This is what it means to be alive, I promise you every warrior has gone through this in their own way."

Gohan was thankful at his teacher's words. Now he considered it, if anyone else had said the same words, he probably wouldn't take it in and would probably even get angry again. Still, there was a part of him which did feel like Piccolo didn't really understand how he felt. How could he? It wasn't his family being ridiculed right before his eyes and nor was it his father who had died to save those very people. Growling in frustration, he pushed aside the thoughts knowing they were getting the better of him once again.

Piccolo wasn't blind, deaf or dumb. He could see Gohan was struggling internally even if he wasn't too serious right now. "Enough for now, let's move on to some more training shall we?"

All of a sudden, Gohan found it much easier to push those thoughts aside. The idea of a new challenge had given him focus. "Yes master."

Piccolo merely smirked as Gohan reverted back to his former self. "Before we dive straight in, tell me, what do you think of the weights? You seem to have adjusted fairly quickly."

"Well, it's still heavy and I can feel some strain but it's nothing compared to the first day."

Piccolo frowned noticeably this time. "Are you suppressing your ki? It doesn't seem to have grown as much as I expected if you're that used to the weights."

"No, it's normal right now."

Piccolo filed that away to think about later. He had delayed training long enough. "Very well, I think you'll like this next one. Follow me."

Gohan didn't get a chance to nod as Piccolo had already turned and was flying through the trees. Flying after him, he looked around for any clues on what they were going to be doing. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. After just a minute of flying Piccolo had landed in a tight clearing which was surrounded by bushes and trees. It was a perfect ambush spot.

As soon as he landed, Gohan could see what he could only describe as an incredibly crude looking cage. It was small with barely any room to move around and not a single bar was straight or symmetrical. It was also made of a dark shiny metal which looked much like the planks Piccolo had tested his strength on.

"I see you remember your old friend," Piccolo chuckled maliciously. He was looking forward to taking off the kid gloves. "Time for some actual combat training, you're going to get in there."

Gohan felt a little nervous about whatever Piccolo had planned. Nevertheless, he climbed into the strange looking cage having to manoeuvre awkwardly to get in. "So what am I doing?"

Piccolo didn't reply as he concentrated hard on the cage with his hand outstretched. Immediately, the cage bent even further out of shape with no form of escape. There was no way Gohan could break out with transforming or suddenly gaining an incredible amount of strength. "You're going to be dodging today kid."

Gohan's eyes widened. How was he meant to dodge anything with these restrictions? He had next to no room to move and there was no way to get into a stance that didn't leave multiple openings. "Don't you think this is a bit much? I can't move at all in here."

"Embrace the challenge Gohan. There are many ways to dodge and many paths to complete the challenge. You're the strongest person on the planet, you didn't really think we were just going to be lifting weights did you?"

Gohan wasn't sure which part of the speech stood out to him but something clicked in his mind. This was what he wanted, this is what he expected when he started training with Piccolo. If he wasn't risking injury or anything for that matter, how much was he really improving? He didn't get a chance to say his usual 'Yes Master' before a beam of ki struck his elbow causing him to spin slightly and hit the side of the cage.

"PAY ATTENTION! DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!" roared Piccolo as he sent another beam at Gohan's leg which was barely dodged. Unfortunately, his move was to spin out of the way leaving his back completely open. Before the student could recover from his mistake, the teacher had sent a small ball into said back.

"GET BACK IN POSITION! AGAIN!"

' _Wow, Piccolo isn't kidding around,_ ' Gohan thought as he immediately turned back into position. Piccolo was no longer in view and Gohan was expecting him to attack from behind now. It would be like Piccolo to do that, prepare him for the dirty tactics. The change of pace in his training was sudden and unexpected but Gohan couldn't deny he felt more alive than he had all week.

He was struck again in the hip but this time he had managed to dodge three beams in succession. The hardest challenge he was facing at the moment was figuring out how to move efficiently in this cramped cage whilst simultaneously dodging. He was sure he looked like a headless chicken at the moment. There was nothing graceful about his movements, the first beam was ok to dodge and then the second would always force him into a position that left him wide open. _'At least it's just small ki blasts.'_

* * *

The new training went on and on with only sporadic breaks in between where Gohan would be given a short interval to regroup and focus. He was slowly starting to understand what Piccolo meant by multiple ways to get through the challenge. At first, he had focused entirely on his form thinking he needed to move more efficiently as to not open his defences. It was only after being blasted into the tough cage for an hour that he understood there was no way to do that. The cage was purposefully designed so he couldn't have a stance that was safe and even worse, Piccolo's shooting was expert enough to make move without the comfort of safety.

During one of the few breaks he had been given (where he was still in the cage), Gohan had decided to choose speed over anything else. If he could dodge and get into a good position before the next ki blast was fired, he would have a much better chance at dodging the next one too. It was incredibly difficult given his weighted clothing and tight space but life had shown it wasn't meant to be easy.

His new method didn't have too much of an impact seeing how his record was still an almighty seven dodges in a row. Nevertheless, he was getting better and he was slowly starting to get faster in his movements. He was surprised at the lack of frustration he felt at getting hit constantly at all day but took it as a welcome change. The only temptation he was fighting at the moment was defending himself instead of dodging all the time. For years, his muscle memory had dictated dodge first and failing that, use defensive manoeuvres. It was humbling in many respects, it made him wonder if there were any other patterns he needed to break through training. What if there were other aspects he had become lax in?

It was now sundown and the pair finally stopped. Piccolo came out from the tree he had been shooting from and lazily pointed at the cage creating a small opening for Gohan to climb out of. As soon as Gohan came out, he immediately groaned as he felt the freedom to move properly once more. Not wanting to cramp, he started doing some stretches which felt less painful than he would have thought. Not that he wouldn't love a dip in a hot spring right about now.

"That's enough for today kid. How you holding up?"

"I'm good, just a little sore but nothing serious. This idea of yours is fairly interesting, I have to say I rather enjoy the challenge. I'm guessing you want me to work on my speed?"

"Ha, not a bad start. Your speed is important but it's more than that. You'll work it out eventually."

Gohan frowned wondering what Piccolo was getting at. He hadn't even meant anything by his question but now he really did want to work it out.

"Anyway, tomorrow's finally your day off so have fun at school and don't forget to keep that temper in check. Otherwise, I'll be upping the power of the ki blasts."

Gohan's good mood immediately dipped at the reminder of going back to school tomorrow. No doubt he would have to deal with more Satan worshippers and potentially accusations about his father cheating. Still…it was just one day and last week he was attending full time. If he couldn't handle one day of being around a bunch of loud-mouthed idiots, was he really as strong as he saw himself to be?

"Don't worry, I will. It's just one-day right?" Gohan sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Piccolo.

"Look Gohan, remember what I said. Anger is natural and it's fine to feel that way. Just don't let it control you or get the better of you. If it helps, it's actually less than a day and you can still do whatever you want to cool off after school. If you want to talk or even continue training, you know how to find me."

Gohan nodded appreciating the support. Waving goodbye, he set off home flying at a relaxing pace enjoying the cool evening air. He wondered what he could do after school, he hadn't really thought about free time all week. Maybe he could visit one of his friends? As he reached home, he could hear Goten laughing with his mum. He smiled softly hitting himself on the head. Of course he knew what to do after school, he hadn't played with his brother properly for ages.

As Gohan walked inside, he immediately dashed to the kitchen smelling his mum's delicious food. How had he not realised how hungry he was? His mother and Goten were already sitting at the table waiting for him.

"Hurry big brother! We're hungry!" called Goten earning a smile from Chi-Chi who looked on approvingly.

"Hello dear, how was training today?"

"Great, I'll tell you about it later. Let's eat first!"

"Oh very well but we will be talking mister."

Before Chi-Chi could get another word in, both her sons have dived into their plates and were eating with reckless abandon. Chi-Chi didn't even start her own dinner and just watched with a happy smile, content with life. _'If only Goku were here.'_

Life had been hard without her husband but at least she had her sons and they both kept her pretty busy on top being a source of endless happiness. Gohan might be going through some troubling times but they were getting on better than she could ever remember. Goten was the spitting image of his father with the same mannerisms and innocence. She briefly wondered when Goten would unload his surprise onto Gohan and how Gohan would react. However it went, she definitely wanted to be there, ready with a camera.

"So Goten, what did you do today?" Gohan asked as he patted his now full stomach.

"Oh, it was so much fun brother! Mom and I went to see grandpa and I got to eat ice cream! And then, we went to the lake and went swimming and I caught a bigger fish than you!" Goten was firing off his stories at rapid pace making Gohan wonder exactly how much ice cream his brother had eaten.

"That sounds great Goten. What do you say to you and me doing something tomorrow when I finish school? Just the two of us?"

Goten's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. He had missed playing and training with his brother so much. His mother told him why Gohan was so busy but it didn't make it any easier. "You mean it? Really? Can we fight? I have new moves I want to show you?" Goten's eyes were pleading almost as if he didn't really believe Gohan was making time for him.

"Of course Goten, we can do whatever you want tomorrow. I know I've been busy lately but I haven't forgotten my favourite brother."

"YAY!" Goten launched himself over the table hugging Gohan with sheer joy. Chi-Chi was ready to tell her son of for flying over the dinner table but couldn't bring herself to interrupt the loving moment between her two sons. _'Where's the camera when you need it.'_

"Ok Goten, off to bed with you. You need to rest up if we're going to play tomorrow. I need to talk with mom for a bit anyway."

"Ok!" Goten said too happy to argue with his brother. He dashed off upstairs to plan what to do with Gohan tomorrow.

"It's nice seeing the two of you like that," Chi-Chi said with a big smile.

"Hehe, yeah Goten's a great kid. I'm guessing it hasn't been easy for him with me out of the house so much."

"He misses you a lot but he understands. Besides, he's been busy with all sorts of things," Chi-Chi trailed off mysteriously.

"What do you know?" Gohan asked suspiciously. He could tell he was being kept out of the loop in something.

"Oh you'll see," Chi-Chi snickered. "Anyway, how was today with Piccolo?"

"It was great actually. I didn't actually do too well but the training is really interesting. Basically I'm locked inside this oddly-shaped cage with barely any room to move. My only task is to dodge ki blasts from Piccolo. I'm slowly getting better but it's harder than it sounds."

Chi-Chi merely nodded having gone through similar training. "Yes, that's actually rather good training albeit more brutal than the regimen I went through."

"You did this training?!" Gohan's eyes were wide in disbelief. He always knew his mother was powerful and a strong fighter but he couldn't imagine her going through proper training.

"Of course, it's not like I was born with the amazing fighting ability of your Saiyans. When I was training for the tournament to impress your father, I went through all kinds of training. You've seen my style, it focuses heavily on speed and precision. I had to learn to dodge almost everything since most fighters are naturally more physically powerful than me. If you were a girl, you'd understand more," she finished with a soft chuckle knowing Gohan would understand either way.

"Wow, that's amazing mom. Piccolo didn't tell me what the training was meant to do but I guessed it was to do with speed. When I asked him about it, he said I was right but it was more than that."

"You mean you haven't worked it out yet?"

"You know?!" Gohan looked at his mother incredulously. Just how talented was his mother?

"I thought it would have been obvious especially to you. In fact, if you don't work it out soon, ask your brother tomorrow. I'll bet you one day's dish-washing that he works it out."

Gohan felt incredibly stupid. Was he missing something obvious?

"Anyway, you need to get to bed soon mister. You have school tomorrow."

Gohan let out a mighty groan of indignation at yet another reminder. He really felt like whining but didn't want to sound like a silly child. He was a warrior after all!

"Ok mom, I guess you're right. I can't lie, I'm not looking forward to school tomorrow but it is just one day."

"That's right, if it helps think of it as training."

Gohan looked at his mom in confusion. How could going to school and sitting in a classroom be considered training? Seeing Gohan's look of confusion, Chi-Chi continued "Dealing with morons and people who make you angry is its own way of training Gohan. Think about it."

Gohan could see where his mother was going with this but didn't really agree. Either way, he was knackered and the enormous meal had left him in a rather sleepy mood. He knew he could sleep well tonight.

"Ok mom. I'm off to bed now. Goodnight." He quickly pecked his mother on the cheek before heading upstairs. For now, he would focus on the great day he'd had. Why worry about what tomorrow would bring?

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **To OpenSourceArtist: Appreciate the review. Don't worry about criticism, I welcome it. I try to keep an open mind but I'm not really thinking of a Videl pairing for this story. I do have a negative take on her in this story but that's mainly because Gohan is such a wimp in the anime. I actually really like them together though. Erasa...that's a maybe at the moment since I've kept that window open. 18 is a consideration but I would have to introduce an entirely new arc to the story which could be difficult with where I want this story to go. Anyway, it was nice to see your thoughts on the matter.**


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